That cannot be right.
Was Aaron Smith really "subdued" when he heard the news he would captain the All Blacks against Fiji at Forsyth Barr Stadium tomorrow night?
That cannot be our Aaron Smith.
The Aaron Smith we know is always chirpy, always animated, and always, always has something to say.
But not this time, apparently.
All Blacks coach Ian Foster must have caught him off guard with the news.
"[He] was a little bit subdued in some ways," Foster said when asked how Smith reacted to news of his promotion.
While Smith might not have been his exuberant self in that moment, Foster detected the swelling of pride in the 97-game veteran.
"He has earned it. He is a big part of our whole leadership group.
"We’ve watched his leadership through the Highlanders and I thought he did a great job there as well.
"So that gave us a lot of confidence to give him [the captaincy]."
Smith is part of a strong local contingent flying the flag for the South.
Southland and Highlanders prop Ethan de Groot has been named on the bench and will be making his debut if he gets on the field.
He will likely replace Otago prop George Bower, who made his debut for the All Blacks last weekend against Tonga and has been named to start tomorrow.
Highlanders loose forward Shannon Frizell has been included in an inexperienced but exciting loose forward trio.
Two Otago officials will also make their international debuts.
Former international netball umpire referee Jono Bredin has been named as an assistant referee, while past Otago Rugby Referees Association chairman Chris Hart is the television match official.
