Rugby World Cup 2015 final: Michael Cheika slams 'disingenuous' spying

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LONDON: Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has slammed the "disingenuous" actions of a photographer who exposed Australia's World Cup final tactics on the eve of the high-stakes clash against New Zealand.

Cheika was also left disappointed when World Rugby officials bizarrely refused his request to allow the coaching staff to be on the field to sing the national anthem with the players before kick-off against the All Blacks.

But the man who has led an Australian rugby revival said there were no excuses for the 34-17 loss at Twickenham on Saturday (Sunday morning AEDT) and that the Wallabies could turn their World Cup efforts into the start of their journey to the top.

Cheika praised New Zealand for their World Cup triumph and expressed his pride in the Wallabies' second-half fightback to give themselves a chance to win the game.

Spy claims: Michael Cheika with the piece of paper which revealed the Wallabies' tactics.Credit: Getty Images

The Wallabies camp was hit with a spying bombshell less than 24 hours before kick-off in the biggest game of all when a photographer snapped pictures of their game plan.

Cheika played down the impact on the team, but was frustrated that The Daily Mail decided to publish the photo and reveal certain aspects of their tactics.

The sheet in scrum coach Mario Ledesma's hand revealed kick-off details to target Kieran Read and where the Wallabies should focus on the All Blacks.

"What was in [the tactics], it's no biggie. It's not like there were any super tactics or anything like that," Cheika said.

So close, so far: Michael Cheika passes by the Webb Ellis Cup following defeat in the 2015 Rugby World Cup final.Credit: David Rogers

"It is a little bit disingenuous, you let that situation in where you open yourself up and someone focuses on that. But that's the way it goes. What do you do? There's nothing to cry about. I think I'll cancel my subscription to The Daily Mail. I don't even know if I've got one."

One of the things on the Wallabies' list noted that All Blacks inside centre Ma'a Nonu steps back on the inside when he's against good line speed.

It didn't help the Wallabies as Nonu did exactly what was predicted just after half-time and ran almost 50 metres to score a crucial try and open up a 21-3 lead.

The Wallabies launched a fightback and scored two tries to get within four points. But the Dan Carter and Richie McCaw-inspired All Blacks kicked into another gear and charged to back-to-back World Cup titles.

Cheika was left frustrated before the match when World Rugby officials denied his coaching staff a chance to stand on the field with the players. He wanted the entire group together to sing the national anthem, but World Rugby has been strict on its policies for the entire tournament before, during and after games.

"We were probably a little bit disappointed tonight because we [the coaches] wanted to go out and sing the national anthem with our team," Cheika said. "But World Rugby wouldn't let us. We were probably disappointed about that. But it's neither here nor there if that's the way it is. We've really enjoyed it, we've tried to improve over the whole tournament. It came pretty quick for us as a group and we tried to make the best of it as we could."

The Wallabies had to get through the "pool of death" to make it to the knockout stages and the intense campaign took its toll in the end.

"I've been really pleased with the way we've handled things. I think we've been really honest about the way we've done things both on and off the field," Cheika said.

"We've really enjoyed it and tried to improve over the whole tournament so we can improve our rugby as a whole.

"It came pretty quick for us as a group but we tried to make the best of it where we [could]."

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