An investigation is under way after New Zealand Rugby reported the discovery of a listening device in a room where an All Blacks team meeting was held.

New Zealand are in Sydney for their first Bledisloe Cup game with Australia and the BBC reported that New South Wales Police had said it was aware of the allegation and had attended a hotel in Double Bay.

A statement from New Zealand Rugby chief executive Steve Tew said: “We are taking this issue very seriously, and given it will be a police matter, it would not be prudent to go into further details.”

Speaking to the New Zealand Herald, Bill Pulver of the Australian Rugby Union denied any involvement.

“Of course not,” he said. “I just think it’s a ludicrous concept that there are listening devices being placed in team rooms. I don’t know how that could happen.”