New Zealand Rugby's investigation into All Black Aaron Smith's so-called "toilet tryst" is continuing following fresh allegations published in an Australian newspaper.
The halfback was involved in an incident with a woman in a toilet at Christchurch airport last year, which was seemingly resolved until she made new complaints inthe Daily Telegraph last month.
The issue was raised yesterday after New Zealand Rugby published its "Respect and Responsibility Review", and chief executive Steve Tew said the investigation was ongoing. The review was launched after several high-profile misconduct cases involving the Chiefs and other professional players in New Zealand.
"In the Aaron Smith case, we are working through a process, we have someone independent looking at the new information that came to light," Tew said. "We are not wanting to rush that process, we think it needs to be done properly and then we will deal with it in the framework of the employment relationship we have with Aaron as we did the first time."
Another high-profile case also raised in an Australian newspaper concerned All Blacks loose forward Jerome Kaino, who left the squad to travel home to Auckland on the day of the test against the Wallabies in Sydney last month. He hadn't been selected for the match-day squad and hasn't been involved with the team since.
Tew said Kaino, who will play for Auckland against Taranaki tomorrow, wasn't guilty of misconduct, but needed to sort out his private life.
"Jerome ... his is a very personal matter and it is a different piece of ground that I think tested the [review] panel and it tests us," Tew said.
"There is a moral issue around Jerome but it is very private. He hasn't actually broken any All Black or contractual obligations and so at this stage we believe that the best thing for Jerome is to go away and sort his life out with his family and himself and come back to rugby when he is ready.
