LONDON: Good luck. That's the simple message from Wallabies coach Michael Cheika to any spies hoping to crack Australia's secret code ahead of a World Cup showdown with England.
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Cheika laughed off a front-page splash in The Sun newspaper, which claimed an English photographer hid in the bushes before being chased away from Wallabies training in Bath.
Espionage is common practice in rugby circles, particularly in the northern hemisphere, with teams known to plant video surveillance at training venues to capture set moves and team selection.
It can give teams a slight edge, and the stakes will be at an all-time high when the Wallabies clash with England in the biggest match of the World Cup so far.
If England lose, they face the prospect of almost certainly being knocked out of their home tournament before the quarter finals.
But Cheika was unfazed by the prospect of England double agents, joking that any information gathered through secret spies would be useless because the Wallabies are still sorting out their own game plan.
"I don't know anything about it. We don't even know what we're doing so how is anyone watching us going to know what we're doing," Cheika said.
"There's a long list of people who have seen people with a camera here or there. It is what it is. If that's what it is, that's what it is.
"I'm not worried about it. We're not really sure what we're doing so I don't think they'll be able to pick it up either. But I have heard about and we've got to have a bit of a laugh."
The Wallabies arrived in London on Monday (Tuesday morning AEST).
They have avoided the World Cup bubble for the first two weeks of the tournament by enjoying a low-key build up in Bath.
Their 65-3 romp against Uruguay on the weekend was a training run before the English hype goes into overdrive ahead of an Ashes battle at Twickenham.
After two weeks in Bath and group games against Fiji and Uruguay, the intensity and attention will reach a new high when the English media delve into the Wallabies preparation.
The claims of espionage were the first to hit the headlines.
But Cheika was more concerned about London's hectic traffic, joking that he considered putting his players on the city's underground train network to avoid getting stuck in the 5pm rush.
Photographers and television crews are allowed access to the first 10 minutes of Wallabies training before being ushered out of the venue.
The fields are protected by big hessian fences around the perimeter, which block out prying eyes and rivals hoping to get a glimpse of Cheika's structure and game plan.
But there's nothing the Wallabies can do to stop long-lens cameras on rooftops around their base at Dulwich College.
"[But] it's not an extra incentive to knock out England," said Wallabies No. 8 Ben McCalman.
"Our focus is to win every game. Every opportunity you get to play in the Australian jersey is a special one. We are here to win every game and we are on the right path to do that. There's a lot of hype."
England has been dealt a massive blow with 126 kilogram wrecking ball Billy Vunipola ruled out for the rest of the World Cup with a knee injury.
"It's so unfortunate for Billy, but the scan shows an injury which means he can't take any further part in the World Cup," said coach Stuart Lancaster.
Serious concerns also remain over the fitness of lock Courtney Lawes and halfback Ben Youngs (ankle), while centre Jonathan Joseph (chest) and No.8 Ben Morgan (knee) are also no guarantee to return."
