Rugby World Cup: New Zealand boss says spying speculations are the world's 'best clickbait'
The All Blacks' coach says that his team is taking the matter lightly
New Zealand coach Steve Hansen laughed off spying speculations from the England side. He described the act to be "the best clickbait in the world."
England coach Eddie Jones claimed earlier this week that one of England's training sessions was filmed by an unidentified cameraperson. Jones claimed that someone was spotted in one of the closest residential buildings that overlooks the training pitch.
The England head coach did not directly allege that the All Blacks were responsible, but stated that this was a common practice in the world of Rugby. The Kiwis' coach, Hansen, was in light mood during today's press conference ahead of Saturday's Rugby World Cup semi-final against England at the International Stadium in Yokohama.
In the press meet, Hansen said, "Eddie and I both know that all is fair in love and war. There is nothing better in war than throw a wee distraction out that you guys (media) can't resist. It's the best clickbait in the world – someone's spying on us. He didn't call at us. He was very deliberate in not doing that."
Hansen further claimed that Jones was talking about somebody else. The New Zealand coach also mentioned a similar event of potential espionage during the All Blacks' practice session. Hansen feels the person involved in both incidents might be the same man.
He further stated that when such an event happened with the defending world champions, no one said anything. It was Jones and the England squad that were successful with the clickbait. When asked if this could be one of England's mind game strategies, Hansen sounded confident about not buying into it.
Hansen clarified that his team is taking the spying speculations as a joke. He claimed that he and his men are "chuckling away." This week, Jones and Hansen got in touch, said the All Blacks' coach. However, they never spoke about the alleged spying event, reports Yahoo.
England, in the meantime, recalled George Ford for the fly-half position for their next Rugby World Cup match. Captain Owen Farrell is expected to be moved back to the center.
Speaking of the semifinal, Jones seemed to be confident about making a difference. He claimed that his side had more than two and a half years to prepare for this big event. Now that they are about to face the defending world champions, Jones believes that his team is ready to take the challenge.
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