Wallabies coach says agreement is not to release all players
Schmidt highlights clash between Waratahs and Fiji games
The Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has hit back at the British and Irish Lions management, insisting Australia are adhering to the tour agreement regarding the release of international players for pre-Test games and that his front-line home players were only unavailable because they were preparing to face Fiji on Sunday week.
The issue has flared up again this week after the Lions chief executive, Ben Calveley, said he expected Schmidt to release Wallaby players back to their Super Rugby franchises for their respective games against the touring team. Some fringe Wallabies are due to feature for Western Force this Saturday but it is set to be a different story for the subsequent games against the Reds, the Waratahs and the Brumbies.
Australia have a warm-up Test against Fiji in Newcastle on Sunday week which effectively clashes with all three of those Lions fixtures, due to be played inside eight days starting with the Reds game in Brisbane next Wednesday evening. With limited time in which to prepare for the best-of-three Test series, the Lions are keen to face the best-available opposition wherever possible and Calveley has also stressed the need to guarantee value for money for matchday fans.
