Wallabies captain Michael Hooper was “shocked” to learn of claims the Australian rugby union team had been investigated for match fixing after losing a test match they’d been favoured to win.
A report in the Sydney Morning Herald on Thursday night suggested the Wallabies were probed for match fixing several years ago, and a sporting official had recommended the investigation be re-opened.
New Zealand was mentioned as a destination for dubious sports bets, but the TAB on Friday told Stuff it had never been contacted by investigators “about suspicious betting activity around a Wallabies test and we have no reason to suspect anything untoward.”
The report said Australian rugby identities were at the time deeply concerned about this Wallabies loss, prompting a “top-secret” investigation.
Apart from team officials being questioned, the investigation involved contacting Australian betting agencies to check whether there was any unusual betting trends on that match.