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WestPac Stadium To Be Blacked Out During All Blacks' Training

The All Blacks' training session on Saturday "will take place under a veil of secrecy -- but that has nothing to do with 'spygate,'" according to the NEW ZEALAND HERALD. A week after discovering a bug in their Sydney hotel room, both the All Blacks' and the Wallabies' captains' runs "will be off limits to guests at Westpac Stadium ahead of Saturday night's Bledisloe Cup test at the same venue." The internal windows of the stadium "will be covered by curtains during the training sessions, preventing guests using the facilities for lunch from seeing the teams' practice moves." But rather than being a reaction to last week's events across the Tasman, the precaution "is part of a new rule instituted by New Zealand Rugby last year." NZR in November "introduced a policy stating test venues hosting training sessions would be closed to the public." The ground "had already been booked by Wellington's Centurion Rugby Club for their annual fundraising lunch, and 750 guests had been expecting to watch the All Blacks train from their level-four vantage point" (NZ HERALD, 8/26). STUFF's Laura Dooney wrote Westpac Stadium CEO Shane Harmon confirmed NZR "had requested the windows be blacked out during the event." Harmon said, "It's a stipulation of hosting test matches that training sessions are closed ... in terms of the team and management wish to keep drills and training to themselves." NZR Head of Rugby Operations Dan Tatham confirmed the ban "but partially relented on Thursday night." He said, "Teams, as a matter of accepted international practice, usually open at least 15 minutes of training for media vision. The All Blacks have agreed to allow the Centurions to watch this open portion of their captain's run in Wellington tomorrow" (STUFF, 8/25).

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