He may have scored twice in his final All Blacks appearance, but Ben Smith's highlight from last night's bronze medal playoff with Wales at the Rugby World Cup probably came after the final whistle.
The 33-year-old had a strong performance in the 40-17 win over Wales in Tokyo last night and was quickly surrounded by his kids after fulltime as organisers prepared for the presentation to hand the All Blacks their bronze medals.
Once the ceremony got underway, the All Blacks made their way through and collected their prize after a tough two months in Japan.
Except for Smith.
The departing fullback still had his children with him and young Annabelle opted to do the honours for her dad and grab the bronze medal in his place.
Organisers seemed happy enough to let her do so although younger brother Walter may not have been as pleased.
"I think that's about the cutest thing I've seen," 1 NEWS Sport reporter and Spark Sport commentator Scotty Stevenson said watching the heartwarming moment.
Annabelle was also on the pitch for her dad's final Highlanders game in Dunedin earlier this year, when she helped him perform water boy and kicking tee duties.
Smith is leaving New Zealand to continue his rugby career in Europe with French club Pau after playing 84 Tests for the All Blacks.
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