Smith issued formal warning
Maybe now All Blacks halfback Aaron Smith can shut the book on the most unsavoury and unsettling period of his career.
But he will do so with the firm understanding that he would not want to repeat the indiscretions that cast such a cloud over his place in the All Blacks.
New Zealand Rugby has issued Aaron Smith with a formal written warning after completing its investigation into last year’s toilet tryst at Christchurch Airport.
The All Blacks halfback was given a warning last year by his NZR bosses and stood down from a Bledisloe Cup test at Eden Park.
However, the governing body launched a new independent investigation in August this year following media reports questioning inconsistencies in information provided by Smith to NZR at his original disciplinary hearing.
But while the investigator concluded that there were some inconsistencies between his account at the time and the information reported by media, it did not have any material impact on the outcome of the original hearing.
‘‘Being honest, particularly in a disciplinary proceeding, is critically important for any employer and that is certainly the case with NZR,’’ NZR chief executive Steve Tew said in a statement yesterday. ‘‘To reinforce this point, we have issued Aaron Smith with a formal written warning.’’
The incident had been thrust back into the public domain after the woman involved told Australian media she would be taking legal action in an attempt to protect her reputation.
Smith, who was sent home from South Africa over the incident, said it was a one-off, but the woman told The Daily Mail they had been in a relationship for two years.
Smith was seen entering a disabled toilet with the woman after the test against the Springboks in Christchurch in September. He was travelling with the team at the time and wearing All Blacks gear.
The 28-year-old is currently on tour with the All Blacks in the UK although he was not named in the squad to play the Barbarians at Twickenham this morning (NZ time). Tew said NZR considered this matter now closed and would not be making any further comment.
Smith struggled for form and confidence when he eventually returned to the All Blacks late in 2016, but appeared to have put the matter behind him in 2017 when he refound his A game.
And even when the Australian Daily Mail report surfaced around the Sydney Bledisloe, detailing exchanges between the All Black and the woman at the centre of the scandal, it did not appear to affect his game.
Earlier this week the 28-year-old halfback, who has played 68 tests for the All Blacks, said he felt ready to finish his year strongly.
‘‘I feel like in the past maybe I have tapered away on the end-ofyear tour, but the body is in good shape and I come in mentally fresh and excited about trying to finish the year off on a personal high,’’ he said in London.