Sporting events are always a hotbed for crime and it seems like even the people who cover these events aren't safe, as one Channel 9 star recently found out.

Emma Lawrence and her cameraman, Cade Thompson, were in for quite a nasty surprise when they found their car broken into on Thursday, November 17.

The pair were in England covering the Rugby League World Cup when the unfortunate incident occurred.

Aside from a damaged window, broadcast equipment worth a total of $20,000 had also been lost in the break-in.

The network has since replaced the stolen gear and local police are investigating the matter.

Emma Lawrence suffered a major setback in her coverage of the World Rugby League in England. Credit: YouTube/Bunnies TV

But this isn't the only case of theft that's taken place during the tournament — even some of the teams have fallen victim to crime!

The Lebanese team had laptops and even their team kit stolen from their accommodation in Manchester at one point during the event.

But luckily their jerseys were later found by a nearby building site.

Believe it or not, in another incident, they managed to chase down and stop a would-be thief who entered their hotel room before he could make off with anything valuable.

They performed a citizen’s arrest until police arrived on the scene.

'We're part-timers — I think the other part-time (work) we're doing is security,' said Lebanon Coach Michael Cheika jokingly after both incidents took place.

‘Someone came into the team room and I’m not sure what happened, but they called me, thank goodness, so I got down there and settled it all down and the police did their bit after that.’

‘It was an early kick-off (the next day) – I didn’t want them chasing blokes down the street at 10pm.’

Source: Facebook/NRL on Nine​

Many online had plenty of jokes about the thief’s odd choice of victim — a whole rugby team!

‘Funny thing is he thought he could outrun Rugby League Players,’ one said with laughing emojis.

‘They should use him as a tackling pad in their upcoming game against Aussie.’ another added.

And speaking of Aus, our dear Wallabies are looking to bounce back against a sorry loss to Italy, 27-28, last Saturday, November 12. The momentous win for the Italy side was their first ever against Australia.

The Wallabies will face world number one Ireland on Sunday, November 20, in a highly anticipated match-up featuring Australia-born Mack Hansen who switched allegiances to Ireland.

So, what is your reaction to this story? Do you have any tips for avoiding theft, especially in unfamiliar places?

Tell us in the comments section below!

Credit: YouTube/Autumn Nations Series​

 

[Ricci]

There is a solution, it's a bit messy and there's not a lot of openings for someone without hands but hey, look on the bright side, it certainly stops any reoffending!!

 

[Jarred Santos]

There is a solution, it's a bit messy and there's not a lot of openings for someone without hands but hey, look on the bright side, it certainly stops any reoffending!!

Wait till you see people chasing a hand-less thief with a purse in his mouth