New Zealand scrum-half Aaron Smith has been dropped for one game for breaching the All Blacks’ standards of behaviour.
He was seen entering a toilet cubicle with a woman at Christchurch Airport and will miss the Rugby Championship match against South Africa in Durban.
All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen said Smith is “bitterly disappointed in his behaviour”.
Hansen added the 27-year-old scrum-half “feels he has let the team, his family and his partner down”.
“He has asked to go home to deal with the personal matters that have come with this incident and we are happy to support him with that,” continued Hansen.
The coach added Smith’s punishment was decided by the leadership group made up of players within the team.
Smith has played 54 Tests for New Zealand since his debut in 2012, although later that year he was benched for a Test against South Africa after breaking a team curfew.
In 2014 he sent a naked picture of himself on Snapchat which was captured by other users and widely circulated.
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