Ethan de Groot may have picked up an unwanted nickname in the All Blacks environment thanks to a humorous misinterpretation of a tattoo on his arm.
After being named to debut for the All Blacks this weekend in Dunedin, de Groot spoke to media alongside teammate and fellow front rower Codie Taylor about his selection.
At one point though, the conference strayed to uncharted waters with a discussion around his tattoo.
"There's a rumour that it's a snowflake," a reporter asked de Groot.
The Highlanders hardman was quick to clear up the confusion in response.
"Oh nah, this is a Viking compass," he said with a smile.
The 22-year-old was then asked if the emblem had any significant meaning behind it only for de Groot to whip out a funny yet honest answer.
"Nothing really, I just thought it was cool," de Groot said.
"It kind of looks like a snowflake but I'm no snowflake."
A giggling Taylor told de Groot he may not have a choice in the matter.
"That's your new nickname, mate," Taylor said.
Snowflake will earn his All Blacks debut off the bench this Saturday against Fiji with kickoff scheduled for 7pm.
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