Ben Stokes invited Saracens players before nightclub incident as England rugby captain admits teammate 'got it wrong'

Ben Stokes invited Saracens players before nightclub incident as England rugby captain admits teammate 'got it wrong' originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:New details have emerged from The Telegraph report about the nightclub incident involving Gus Atkinson and Ben Stokes. • >Jamie George, who has been confirmed as England's rugby captain for the summer, confirmed Ben Stokes had invited Saracens players to join England's celebrations. • >George admitted Saracens youngster Totoa Auvaa "got it wrong" during the incident. • >The ECB previously said Atkinson was the victim of two unprovoked attacks. • >Stokes reportedly did not witness either incident.Ben Stokes invited Saracens players before nightclub incident, says England rugby captainA new report from The Telegraph's Daniel Schofield and Will Macpherson has revealed fresh details about the nightclub incident that resulted in England captain Ben Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson missing the second Test against New Zealand.

>England rugby international Jamie George, who will captain the national team during the Nations Championship games in July, in the absence of regular skipper Maro Itoje, has now shed further light on what happened.

>George revealed that Stokes had invited members of the English rugby club Saracens to join England's cricket team after their victory at Lord's over New Zealand.

>George, who left before the incident unfolded, explained how the two groups came together.

>"I was at the pub with our end-of-season do and Ben Stokes had messaged me saying, 'Are you guys around?' so we met up. They then kicked on but thankfully I was in an Uber on my way home when that whole thing happened and I woke up to a phone call asking what happened."

>George also suggested the controversy had perhaps grown bigger than it should have. "I think it has been blown out of proportion a little bit but that's the world that we're in."

>MORE:What really happened in Ben Stokes' nightclub incident

Jamie George admits Saracens teammate Totoa Auvaa 'got it wrong'George also addressed the conduct of 21-year-old Saracens academy player Totoa Auvaa, who has been accused of making physical contact with Atkinson during the incident.

>The ECB's investigation concluded that Atkinson was "the victim of unprovoked attacks" and that he did not retaliate.

>"He's a young kid who has only left Samoa once. He is immature...He's a good kid, but he's got it wrong. There's no disputing that," George said while defending the youngster's character but admitted the youngster's actions were unacceptable.

>"We need to make sure that we establish that sort of behaviour is unacceptable. We'll look after him. We'll make sure that he's got role models around him," he added.

>According to reports, Auvaa allegedly struck Atkinson's security guard during one confrontation before later making physical contact with the England fast bowler himself. Stokes reportedly did not witness either incident.

>MORE:'Hasn't apologised for the chaos': Michael Atherton's verdict after Ben Stokes interview on the nightclub incident

Why This Matters: George's account adds important context to the Stokes sagaThe nightclub controversy already cost Stokes and Gus Atkinson one Test match and dominated headlines throughout England's series against New Zealand.

>The fallout became so severe that reports suggested Stokes even considered retirement, while his relationship with the ECB and head coach Brendon McCullum came under intense scrutiny.

>MORE:Ben Stokes relationship with Rob Key and Brendon McCullum reportedly hits new low

>George's account provides the clearest explanation of how England's cricketers and the Saracens players came together that night. His admission that teammate Auvaa "got it wrong" also aligns with the ECB's finding that Atkinson was the victim of unprovoked attacks, while reinforcing that Stokes himself did not witness either incident.

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