Bristol Bears have signed Totoa Auvaa, the Samoan forward who was sacked by Saracens after multiple disciplinary issues.

The 21-year-old was dismissed by the north London club after a second alcohol-fuelled incident earlier this month, with two young men in St Albans, which required police involvement.

Earlier this year, Auvaa triggered the crisis that resulted in Ben Stokes retiring from international cricket and resigning as England’s Test captain. The ECB later described the incident in a Chelsea nightclub, where Auvaa attempted to strike Stokes’s team-mate Gus Atkinson but instead caught a member of the duo’s security entourage, as an “attack”.

Bristol, however, have moved to sign the highly rated back-rower who, despite making one appearance for the Saracens 1XV – in the Prem Rugby Cup at the beginning of this season - has captained Samoa under-20s and Samoa A. The Bears have acknowledged that Auvaa has “made some mistakes” but that young people “deserve the opportunity” for a second chance.

Telegraph Sport understands that a plethora of French clubs had expressed interest in signing Auvaa. All of Toulouse, La Rochelle, Racing 92 and Stade Français were among those deliberating his signature.

Pat Lam, Bristol’s director of rugby and himself a former captain of Samoa, said: “Totoa is a big, physical young man with enormous potential, who unfortunately has made some mistakes since arriving from a small village in Samoa to the massive city of London.

“His agent reached out to me to see if I would be willing to help him and give him a second chance. I’ve always believed that young people deserve the opportunity to learn from those experiences, grow and become better people.

“Having spent time with Totoa, I feel confident that we can provide him with the mentorship, guidance, support and structure to give him the best possible opportunity to succeed, not just as a rugby player, but as a person. Someone his parents and family all the way back in Samoa will be proud of.

“He has a huge amount of ability and we’re looking forward to helping him develop, make the most of this opportunity and become a valued member of the Bears family.”