Tokyo (AFP)
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen on Thursday rejected allegations of espionage from the English side, who said Tuesday he caught a camera filming a training session before the World Cup semi-final between the two nations on Saturday.
"Eddie (Jones, England coach) and I know that in love and in war every move is allowed, and Eddie knows that in times of war you have to give yourself (the media) a little distraction" said Hansen in a smile at a press conference.
"It's the best + click trap + in the world: to say that someone is spying on you," he added.
Hansen called his English counterpart a "good guy" and a "very good coach", recalling that Jones did not directly point the New Zealanders to this camera: "He did not say that was us, he was very careful not to say it. "
On Wednesday, England's defense coach and former New Zealand coach John Mitchell insinuated that the All Blacks were behind the camera that filmed the training of the XV of the Rose, as revealed the day before by Eddie Jones.
Major rugby nations strive to keep their tactics secret, including limiting access to the training ground to ensure future opponents do not have crucial information.
"Everyone jumped on this story, at least it made us laugh a lot, we do not believe it," continued Hansen, adding that Jones had contacted him but "not about these allegations". "We had a good time," he said.
To hope to win a third World Cup in a row after the awards of 2011 and 2015, the All Blacks will beat on Saturday (8:00 GMT, 10:00 French) England, a "wonderful team in the past four years", estimated Hansen.
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