- Title: Hansen impressed by Jones' 'spygate' mind games, but unmoved
- Date: 24th October 2019
- Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (OCTOBER 24, 2019) (REUTERS) NEWS CONFERENCE WITH STEVE HANSEN IN PROGRESS SOUNDBITE (English) NEW ZEALAND COACH STEVE HANSEN SAYING: "Eddie and I both know that all is fair in love and war, and there is nothing better in war than to throw a wee distraction out there. You guys can't resist, the best clickbait in the world, someone is spying on us. He didn't call it us, he was very deliberate in not doing that. He talked about it being someone else, it was probably the same bloke who videoed us during the same time we were there, but everyone has jumped on it and he has been successful in getting the clickbait." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS SOUNDBITE (English) NEW ZEALAND COACH STEVE HANSEN SAYING: "Well, there will be a bit more tonight, there is a reason why our press conference is now and his is at five o'clock. So I look forward to reading it. It has been good, it has allowed us to have a good laugh and be relaxed." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS SOUNDBITE (English) NEW ZEALAND COACH STEVE HANSEN SAYING: "What he said, he was very particular about what he said, that someone filmed their training and I think he might have added at the back end of that that it could have been a supporter. He didn't say New Zealand did it. You guys all did that, you jumped on that bandwagon, it is quite clever." JOURNALIST SUGGESTING JONES IS PLAYING MIND GAMES "It is only a mind game if you buy into it. We are not buying into it and it has allowed us to have a good laugh. I am chuckling way, I get a text 'How are you going Steve? 'Pretty good thanks Eddie', he is laughing, I am laughing, you guys are getting what you want because everyone is clicking on the bait and we are wasting time talking about it now." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS
- Embargoed: 7th November 2019 09:03
- Keywords: Steve Hansen New Zealand rugby Eddie Jones World Cup
- Location: TOKYO, JAPAN
- City: TOKYO, JAPAN
- Country: New Zealand
- Topics: Rugby Union,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA001B2GI5HB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has laughed off spying claims by England counterpart Eddie Jones and repeated his own assertions that the Australian likes to play mind games before big matches.
Jones told reporters on Tuesday that England had seen someone filming their training session in Tokyo ahead of their World Cup semi-final against the All Blacks, though he did not accuse the New Zealanders of being the culprits.
"Eddie and I both know it's all fair in love and war," Hansen told a media conference on Thursday (October 24) after naming his side for Saturday's semi-final at Yokohama Stadium.
"And Eddie knows in a time of war that you throw out a bit of distraction for you guys (the media) to deal with. Best clickbait in the world, 'someone is spying on us'."
Hansen added that he and Jones exchanged text messages and "laughed" at the claims and the stories about the pair's mind games ahead of the semi-final.
(Production: Iain Axon and Jill Gralow) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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