No jubilant facial expressions, no fisting the air and most certainly not looking like he's about to break into a sprint to get into the thick of the cock-a-hoop collective.
The All Black, who played the second half coming off the bench for English import tighthead prop Max Lahiff, comes across as a sulking member of a groom's party who didn't score the position of best man for the wedding.
It appears I wasn't the only one who noticed the aberration because the APNZ media agency pursued a story post-match, asking the Cantabarian why he didn't look mighty pleased.
Franks revealed he was under the impression Hawke's Bay had lost the shield challenge when the final whistle sounded in Dunedin.
Okay, it can be quite a plausible explanation when you're coming off the bench and, after all, there was only a point in the Magpies' 20-19 win that ended the hosts' nine-day reign in just their first defence after breaking a 63-year hoodoo.
He even went on to disclose he was morose after the final whistle but it's what he was quoted as saying that makes one wonder.
"I thought we were down by one point so when the whistle went I was like 'ohhh, we've lost' and then I looked up and saw the boys were jumping up and down so it took me a few seconds to realise we'd won the game."
Now come on, things can get a little sluggish in all the hoopla after the final whistle but it's logical to assume the Otago Daily Times shutter bug took THAT front-page photograph a good 10 minutes after the shock result that stunned the Deep South faithful.
Franks, who rejoined the All Blacks squad in Hamilton last Monday to prepare for last Saturday's test against Argentina, comes across as convincing as Shane Warne's exccuse for taking a banned substance at his mother's suggestion.
Okay, for argument's sake, let's say Franks took a wee while to ascertain the Magpies had actually won the game.
No doubt he would have noticed Magpies captain Mike Coman go up to receive the shield from his Otago counterpart.
All right, so someone distracts Franks in those few split seconds and, consequently, he misses the handing over of the log in all that commotion.
Now the men in the black-and-white hooped shirts start running towards Coman, grinning from ear to ear, holding up a shiny trophy with TV cameras tracking his every move.
Surely the penny must have dropped then. Hey, look, the Bay boys are all bunched together and the camera flashlights are exploding like fireworks all around them.
"Why on earth are these people holding up a shield, going nuts when they have actually lost the flaming game?" Franks must have wondered. "What strange behaviour. I'll just stroll along to see what all the brouhaha is about."
Mmm, that sort of stuff wouldn't even stack up in a kangaroo court.
I suspect Franks' melancholic mood stemmed from the fact that he didn't make it to the starting line up.
I mean, come on, how can an esteemed All Black squad member not be considered ahead of some provincial incumbent.
His look of consternation was well documented on TV footage while on the bench.
Maybe it was in sympathy of keeping New Zealand rugby's most sought-after trophy in the South.
Franks' input in the game also raises questions.
God knows why the referee didn't ping him but in the dying minutes the substitute prop appeared to be doing everything to gift a penalty to Otago from a gimme position.
When Otago winger Buxton Popoali'i scored a try, he actually went casually around Franks who seemed content to be a pedestrian.
For the record, Franks only got scant minutes for the All Blacks in the 28-13 win over the Pumas on Saturday night but, suffice it to say, he wasn't in a sombre mood.
Dysfunctional contracts, such as those of Franks, need to be revisited to consider what is actually the point in bringing in a player whose input in the ITM Cup season only threatens to pip the commitment of Santa Claus once a year.
Yes, they sound and look great before a season starts but, in reality, ceremonial contracts do little for anyone especially if players are expected to leave their comfort zone to fulfil the requirements of the All Blacks think-tank because of a glut in any given position for the international matrix.
Even though the Magpies lost the shield last Saturday, it was great to see a capacity McLean Park buzzing with excitement or simply deafening in silence when things went awry.
That's what provincial spirit is about, something, it seems, Franks has failed to comprehend although it would have been interesting to see what sort of reception he would have got.
