All Blacks accuse Wallabies of spying
New Zealand have claimed an Australian TV crew secretly filmed a training session and gave the footage to Wallabies coach Robbie Deans ahead of their Tri-Nations decider.
New Zealand have claimed an Australian TV crew secretly filmed a training session and gave the footage to Wallabies coach Robbie Deans ahead of their Tri-Nations decider.
All Blacks assistant coach Steve Hansen said a Channel Seven camera infiltrated their security cordon at a closed session on Friday ahead of Saturday's crucial match, AAP news agency reported.
The Wallabies strenuously denied they received or watched All Blacks training footage in their pre-match preparations.
“There's absolutely no foundation to those allegations and to comment further would be giving them a level of credibility they simply don't deserve,” said a team spokesman.
Hansen said a member of the Wallabies' management team admitted to an All Blacks official after New Zealand's 28-24 Tri-Nations win that they had studied the footage pre-match.
“It's not a rumour, it's a fact, which is really disappointing,” Hansen told reporters on Sunday.
“It was Channel Seven, and I don't know if it was more than one session but I definitely know of one session, then they gave it to the Australians.
“It's disappointing that the Australians actually used it. We know they used it because they told us. It was a bit dumb, but they did.”
Channel Seven also denied the claims and a spokesman said Hansen had got it wrong.
“There is absolutely no foundation to the allegations that Steve Hansen has made,” the spokesman said.
“No one from the team will be commenting any further. To do so would be to give the allegations a level of credibility they simply don't deserve.”
New Zealand have made similar claims in the past with Hansen alleging England spied on them during the 2005 end-of-season tour.
The following year Wallabies assistant coach Scott Johnson attended a Bledisloe Cup press conference dressed in camouflage army fatigues with “Can I sit here?” printed on the front and “Paranoia is curable” on the back.
It was a reference to New Zealand's objections to his touchline positioning in the previous Test in Christchurch.