Wallabies coach Michael Cheika isn’t hanging out for an apology from New Zealand over the long-running bugging saga between the two nations.
An All Blacks security consultant was charged with public mischief on Tuesday, nearly six months after the initial incident and Cheika said he was glad the issue was resolved, along with any suggestion of Australian rugby involvement.
“I thought to be honest I'd forgotten about it really and then it came up,” he said.
“I was surprised they were still onto it, I suppose. but there was an investigation to be had and they did their business and they came up with that solution, that outcome.
“I knew one thing was definite that obviously the inferences that we were involved...that was ridiculous and knew that that wasn't the case so I didn't know what would happen otherwise.”
The discovery of the listening device caused major tension between the Wallabies and All Blacks, particularly after New Zealand Rugby’s decision to delay referring the incident to police until the day of the opening Bledisloe.
Cheika unleashed about the bugging debate after the final Bledisloe but said he wasn’t expecting anything from the Kiwis in the way of an apology.
“An apology to us? No, I don't think, I'm not expecting anything,” he said.
“I don't think that's necessary - they made their call and know that's all there is to it.
“They made their play and the police have shown that to be a different outcome to what maybe that inference was but I don't expect anything like an apology or anything like that, no.”
In the time that has passed since that fiery exchange and dismissed the notion that it had brought trans-Tasman relations to their lowest point.
“Not ideal there was an inference from them around us, it’s clear that's not the case,” he said.“It’s a shame that's the situation. That was the situation around the bug but that's the way it went down.
“At the end of the day, I don't see that there's any great all-time low. It is what it is.
“The only people who've got to improve in that respect are us on the field.
“Relations can be wherever they are off the field, it's about improving on the field and that's really what we want to do.”
