PERTH - A spy drama that unfolded at Monday's Springbok training session has escalated into a full-blown controversy after the mystery cameraman was identified as one Damien Holden, a former coach at Sydney club Randwick and reportedly a friend of Wallaby coach Eddie Jones and assistant coach Glen Ella.
While the Springboks were loathe officially to accuse their Tri-Nations adversaries of blatant spying, they were visibly upset by the actions of the secretive cameraman and coach Harry Viljoen said that the days are fast approaching when an iron cordon of security will have to be installed at every training session.
At Monday's session, scrumhalf Joost van der Westhuizen noticed a video camera being trained on the Boks from a maroon 4x4 parked at the Palmyra Rugby Club where the South Africans have been preparing for Saturday's test.
A posse of players and management twice hastened towards the car which left after the second incident.
Yesterday, the Australian Rugby Union liaison officer assigned to the Boks, Peter Holms, disclosed the identity of the cameraman.
Tim Lane, the Bok assistant coach, said he knew the man. "We do not believe that the Wallabies sent him out, but we will have to wait and see. He did leave the parking lot in a hurry after he had been spotted ..."
TV crews are usually allowed to watch the Boks warm-up at Monday training sessions, but it is customary that they are asked to switch off their cameras as soon as the team begins training proper.
Earlier in the practice session, Viljoen had to admonish a TV crew that was filming the Boks scrumming.
"We are not going to take any more chances," an irate Viljoen said.
"No foreigners will be allowed at our sessions any more this week. Look, I would never point the finger at the Wallabies, but at the same time you just never know what is going to happen with footage taken of your sessions. Maybe someone will try and sell it to the Wallabies."
- INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS (SOUTH AFRICA)
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