Flanker Jerome Kaino has become the latest All Black to be caught up in an infidelity scandal with details of his tryst with a former model emerging across the Tasman.
Just days after the investigation into Aaron Smith's cubicle encounters was reopened, Kaino has been implicated in a string of hotel hook-ups with Australian Tara Pokarier.
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New Zealand Rugby have released a statement confirming he has since returned home from the All Blacks camp in Sydney to deal with "a personal matter".
According to Australian publication the Daily Telegraph, Pokarier met up with the two-time World Cup winner for sex on several occasions in hotels in Auckland, Sydney, and Brisbane before discovering he was married.
Kaino has been married to Diana Breslin since 2011 with whom he has three children.
A friend of Ms Pokarier alleges the relationship was "purely sexual", athough the pair kept in regular contact, with Kaino gifting her tickets to last year's Bledisloe Cup match in Sydney.
"He then came to her room at the Four Seasons in Sydney on the Thursday before last year’s cup match," the friend told the Daily Telegraph.
"She was blissfully happy with things and posting shots of them together on social media."
Despite Kaino's attempts at covering up his marital status, Pokarier eventually found out and subsequently broke off the relationship.
"Tara asked him about his relationship status and he tried to cover up that he was married," the friend claims.
"That's when she stopped hooking up with him sexually.
"Tara is not a home-wrecker and feels terribly for his wife."
NZ Rugby CEO Steve Tew called the latest allegations "concerning", recognising the impact that cases such as Smith and Kaino's were having on the game itself.
"While NZR does not wish to comment on individual behaviour, it is clear this is really hurting rugby, all the people concerned, our fans and supporters," Tew said via statement.
"We take these issues very seriously, and are also mindful that these issues affect people with families and loved ones.
"As an employer, we will take some time to asses this."
A veteran of 81-Tests for New Zealand and the incumbent in the No. 6 jersey, Kaino was curiously dropped for the opening Bledisloe Cup Test in Sydney Saturday night in favour of Liam Squire.
It's unclear whether his exclusion is related to this latest incident.
Newshub.
