Smith was suspended for misconduct in September last year after he was seen entering a toilet cubicle with a female friend at Christchurch Airport. It has now come to light that he may have lied to the All Black management about the incident.

On Wednesday, the story took another twist when the lady in question released a series of texts and Facebook messages that appear to show Smith lied and withheld information to cover-up the full extent of their relationship, which appears to have started years ago.

If authentic, the messages show that Smith was involved in convincing the woman to lie in a legal document, while he also misled All Blacks coach Steve Hansen.

The woman said her portrayal by Smith and the All Blacks management led her to release the messages.

‘When we got caught he lied about what had happened and asked me to stick to the story he had told his new girlfriend and coach, which essentially put the blame on me,’ the woman told the Australian Daily Mail.

‘I was definitely the scapegoat so that he could get out of it, he threw me under the bus to try and save his own career.’

New Zealand Rugby has since reportedly instructed an independent lawyer to reopen the investigation.

‘Based on information published today, New Zealand Rugby believes that it needs to investigate the Aaron Smith matter further. Until those enquiries are complete, we will not be making any further statements. It is effectively an employment issue.’

Smith has been named in the All Blacks’ starting XV for Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship opener against the Wallabies in Sydney.