British and Irish Lions warn Australia must release players for tour fixtures
The British and Irish Lions have warned Australia they will be in breach of contract if they fail to release their Test stars for all tour games involving Super Rugby teams.
Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt has allowed Western Force players Nick Champion De Crespigny, Dylan Pietsch, Tom Robertson, Darcy Swain and Nic White to take part in Saturday's first match Down Under in Perth.
However, all those from the Reds, Waratahs and Brumbies, including big names such as Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Rob Valetini, will not face the Lions until the Test series.
Given Australia's lack of depth, Schmidt is keen to avoid picking up any injuries while their warm-up fixture against Fiji in Newcastle on July 6, which takes place the day after the tourists meet the Waratahs, is another obstacle.
However, Lions chief executive Ben Calveley has reminded the hosts of the terms of the tour contract, knowing Andy Farrell's men want to play the toughest possible opposition to provide adequate preparation for the opening Test on July 19.
"We'll see a competitive fixture at the weekend and that's what we're looking for. We want to make sure our guys are battle-hardened when it comes to the Test series," Calveley said.
"The agreement is very clear – it says that Test players have to be released to play in fixtures leading into that series. That is our expectation.
"We'll play the game at the weekend and will carry on having discussions with (Rugby Australia chief executive) Phil Waugh and will take it step by step.
"It's really important that these games are competitive. It's not just from a performance standpoint but it's also right for the fans, partners and broadcasters, who are all expecting competitive fixtures. That would be their expectation as well."
Calveley declined to reveal what action the Lions could take if Schmidt will not be budged from his current policy, but it is clear the tourists hold all the aces given the vast revenue they generate for hosting countries.
A sold-out Aviva Stadium turned red for Friday night's send-off in a display of commercial power from the elite of British and Irish rugby, who continue to be a huge draw.
Argentina won an entertaining but scrappy game 28-24 and given they are positioned three places higher than the Wallabies in the global ranking in fifth, they could be viewed as a more credible tour destination than Australia.
There are also calls for France to be added to the current rotation that is completed by South Africa and New Zealand. For now, however, fixtures against other nations will be bolt-ons to existing destinations rather than stand-alone tours.
"There are different teams around the world that we might be interested in playing against in future. Traditionally that's been consigned to a pre-tour element – Dublin, Murrayfield – so we'll probably focus on that," Calveley said.
"We're also interested when we go away on tour to see if we can bring in other countries like Japan and Fiji to feature in those games as we build up to the Test element.
"We're open and we're flexible, but right now there are no plans to change the rotation of the tour structure."
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