A witness in the trial of an All Blacks security guard says the team suspected they'd been bugged before and were worried their lineout calls were at risk when they swept their hotel for bugs last year.
Adrian Gard is on trial in Sydney, accused of making up explosive claims that a listening device at the team hotel was discovered in the leadup to a game against Australia.
News that the team could have been bugged broke on August 20 - the day of a Bledisloe Cup test in Sydney, which the All Blacks won 42 - 8.
Gard had served the All Blacks for more than a decade as a security guard and consultant.
He organised a sweep of the team hotel which apparently uncovered the listening device. But after a six month investigation, police alleged Gard had lied about its discovery.
The court heard Gard hired Charles Carter from security contract Bug Detectors to carry out a sweep of the All Blacks meeting room at the Intercontinental Hotel in Double Bay.
Mr Carter says he was told the All Blacks suspected they had been bugged in South Africa previously, when the team’s lineout calls were recorded or hacked.
"We were discussing [the] security breach in South Africa where someone called them and said we’ve got your lineout calls," says Mr Carter.
Mr Carter used sophisticated equipment to scan a group of chairs in the team's meeting room.
He discovered two chairs which could’ve been concealing some kind of device, which he then put aside for Gard to examine.
Mr Carter says he received a call from Gard that night, asking him if he wanted "the good news or the bad news".
Gard "said there was a bug in one of the chairs," to which Carter responded with "wow".
All Blacks Manager Darren Shand was the first to testify, saying he was shocked when the bug was discovered.
Mr Shand said he received a call from Gard at 5pm on Monday August 15.
"There was a sense of urgency in his voice… he needed to see me immediately. I went straight up to his room," Mr Shand says.
Mr Shand says he joined Gard in his hotel room, where he was shown a chair with seat fabric removed and wires sticking out near the frame of the seat.
He referred the find to hotel management, who carried out their own internal investigation.
The matter wasn't reported to Police until Saturday August 20, the morning of the game.
Gard has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The case is set down for a two-day hearing.
Newshub.
