Aaron Smith's rugby ban and sex scandal in airport toilet before ...

The All Blacks are not used to being labelled underdogs but before the 2023 Rugby World Cup even kicked off New Zealand were being written off by some. Ireland, France and South Africa were all tipped to lift the Webb Ellis trophy ahead of them and yet the sport's most famous team have quietly been shifting through the gears in the last month.

With their ruthless efficiency, power, speed and precession now coming to the fore, maybe nobody epitomises those characteristics more than seasoned scrum half Aaron Smith.

The 34-year-old burst into tears after the All Blacks’ epic 28-24 quarter-final victory over Ireland last weekend. For Smith, a veteran of the 2019 World Cup campaign, that result wasn't just a statement, but it was a reminder of the lessons learnt four years ago when New Zealand again beat Ireland in the quarter finals.

They went on to lose a semi final against England, which has been a huge motivation for Smith.

He said: “Just remembering the pain of it is a big driver, especially for a few of us boys who’re there. That feeling helped us reset after what was an emotional game [against Ireland] and everything on the line week last week.”

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After gathering attention playing provincial rugby in his homeland Smith was included in Super Rugby side the Blues' wider training group for the 2010 Super 14 season. In 2011 he signed for Highlanders and on the back of his performances made his All Blacks debut in 2012 against Ireland.

By 2012 he was the All Blacks first choice half back and has been selected for every New Zealand squad since 2013. He started all of New Zealand's knockout games during their victorious 2015 Rugby World Cup and in 2016 became the leader of the All Blacks haka.

Smith played his 50th international test match against Wales in 2016 before scandal struck.

Smith's career came to a sudden halt in 2017 when he was suspended by the All Blacks after being caught having sex with a lawyer in a disabled airport toilet hours after he had played in a Test match win against South Africa.

His international future was thrust into doubt following the sordid incident at Christchurch Airport. A man saw the scrum-half enter a disabled toilet with a woman and he was left with no doubt about what was going on. The man wrote to the New Zealand Herald and said: “The pair were in the bathroom for 5-10 minutes and from the noises coming out of the bathroom there was absolutely no question what the couple were doing in there.”

Smith admitted having sex with the woman and messages between the pair came to light detailing the extent of the affair between the two. The rugby star was at the time in a relationship with Teagan Voykovich, who stuck by him in spite of the ordeal. The pair later got married in 2021.

After he was caught, Smith told a press conference: “I’ve made a huge mistake, a huge error in judgement. I’d firstly like to say a huge sorry to my partner Teagan, her family, my family. My behaviour was unacceptable and if you could respect me and my partner in this situation. I’m just trying to get home to deal with this. Thank you.”

Then All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen said: “On the Sunday in Christchurch after the South African test, at the Christchurch Airport, Aaron and a female friend were seen by members of the public to enter the disabled toilets. I had a conversation with Aaron on Tuesday, he confirmed the story. “Clearly Aaron is bitterly disappointed in his behaviour and feels he has let the team down, but just as importantly he feels bitterly disappointed in letting his family and his partner down. He, at his request, he has asked to go home to deal with the personal matters that have come with this incident and we have been only too happy to support him in that.”

Smith was suspended for one game as a result of his behaviour, which even prompted a response from the country’s then Prime Minister, John Key. The PM said: “I suspect he’ll be sitting back, reflecting on the fact he’s let himself down, he’s let the team down, he’s an integral part of the All Blacks so he won’t want to be sitting on the sidelines, and frankly, he’s embarrassed himself a bit,” said Key. “They [the All Blacks] do a lot to try and prove to young New Zealanders that they’re the sort of people to look up to - that’s why I think Aaron will feel pretty disappointed in himself.”

Even after serving a one-match ban, Smith found himself in more trouble after New Zealand Rugby ordered an independent investigation into the incident. It found there had been some “inconsistencies” in the player’s account of what happened and he was subsequently handed a formal written warning.

The woman at the centre of the scandal, lawyer Bridget Morton, spoke to Daily Mail Australia in 2017 after Smith had asked her to sign a document falsely confirming that the pair did not have sex. She said: “It wasn’t what happened at the airport that was an issue, it was the lies that were told afterwards that I wasn’t okay with. I had nothing to hide so if Aaron had just told the truth from the start there would have been no problem, it really wasn’t a big deal. The lie was unnecessary. As for the penalty for misleading the NZR, it’s odd, but I didn’t want Aaron to be punished, I just wanted him to tell the truth.”

Despite the fallout Smith went on to become the most-capped scrum-half in New Zealand's history in the 2018 season, breaking Justin Marshall's long-standing record.

In August 2021 against the Wallabies Smith became the tenth All Black to register 100 tests and the first of Maori descent.

Smith has been the haka leader in 32 tests for New Zealand.