A listening device planted in the All Blacks' Sydney hotel may have recorded a team meeting ahead of their Bledisloe Cup clash with the Wallabies - but New Zealand Rugby says it isn't pointing any fingers just yet.
The bug was discovered embedded in a chair in a meeting room at Double Bay's Intercontinental on Monday, NZ Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew said, confirming the bombshell allegation ahead of Saturday night's Rugby Championships opener.
"There was an All Blacks team meeting there earlier in the week. If the device was working properly - and we don't know that for sure - then they would have overhead that," Tew told reporters outside the hotel.
"But we don't think it's a catastrophic issue for the game tonight. We're going to get on with it."
Tew said Australian counterpart Bill Pulver was "just as shocked as I was" when he informed him of the discovery, adding the All Blacks were not blaming anyone yet.
"We haven't made any accusations of anybody, so there's no room for denials."
Pulver dismissed any suggestion the Wallabies were involved as "ludicrous".
"I just think it's a ludicrous concept that there are listening devices being placed in team rooms. I don't know how that could happen," he told the New Zealand Herald earlier on Saturday.
"I simply don't know the background but I'm clearly disappointed it gets out to the media on the day of a Bledisloe Cup match."
It's understood Wallaby team officials are doing everything possible under the circumstances to make sure the players' have as normal a lead-in to the game as they can.
According to the Herald, the device was buried in the foam of a seat, which had been carefully cut and sewn or glued back together.
NSW police say they're looking at what offences may have been committed and why it took several days for the matter to be reported to them.
"We will be looking at all the avenues and what part of the legislation it comes under. In particular ... telecommunications offences and the Listen Devices Act," Rose Bay Commander Superintendent Brad Hodder told reporters.
Tew said the All Blacks had informed the hotel when the device was discovered during a routine security check, before alerting police.
Perhaps not fully aware of the circumstances at the time, NSW Premier Mike Baird made light of the discovery on Saturday.
"I think that's awesome - if that gives us a chance to beat the All Blacks I'm all for it," he told reporters before bursting into laughter.
