Wallabies release two more players for Lions tour amid availability row

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The Wallabies have released hooker Matt Faessler and centre Hunter Paisami back to the Queensland Reds as the row over Australia’s contractual obligation to release players to Super Rugby teams to face the British & Irish Lions continues.

Australia head coach Joe Schmidt had hit back after the British and Irish Lions warned their hosts they will be in breach of contract if they failed to release their Test stars for all tour games involving Super Rugby teams.

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 in Perth.

The Wallabies head coach had been keeping a ring-fence around a core contingent of his squad, with all those from the Reds, Waratahs and Brumbies, including big names such as Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Rob Valetini, not expected to face the Lions until the Test series.

However, the Wallabies posted on social media on Wednesday, saying: “Matt Faessler and Hunter Paisami will return to Brisbane today to prepare with the Queensland Reds ahead of their match against the British & Irish Lions on Wednesday July 2.”

Lions chief executive Ben Calveley had 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.

Given Australia’s lack of depth, Schmidt is keen to avoid picking up any injuries, while their warm-up fixture against Fiji in Newcastle, New South Wales, on July 6, the day after the tourists meet the Waratahs, is another obstacle.

Schmidt had told the Sydney Morning Herald on Tuesday that he would be looking to release some players to the Reds and Waratahs but pointed out that the Lions are likely to have a “dirt-trackers” midweek team to play some of the games.

Indeed, he says the agreement says that you have to have the “best intention” to have the best players available to play, not that you have to release every single player.

“There’s some serious plate-spinning at the moment, trying to get ready,” Schmidt said.

“The ambition is there will be some going back to the Reds and some going back to the Waratahs.

“But in reality, the Lions have got their squad. Are they going to play their best team every week? That’s unlikely. So are we going to play all the same players every week?

“We play Fiji on a Sunday and the Waratahs play on a Saturday night. So it’s not like you can play Saturday and Sunday night against a team like the Lions. It would be counterproductive.

“I’m not sure whether Andy was part of that discussion or whether it was just coming from the CEO, but I’ve read the tours agreement and it’s having the best intention to have the highest-quality players available and playing.

“It’s not as specific as saying every Wallaby from a state or a club has to be available to play every game that the Lions come through on.”

Speaking on Monday, Lions chief Calveley said: “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.

“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.”

Calveley was speaking at a ‘Welcome to Country’ ceremony, a 20-minute First Nations cultural experience held in Perth’s Kings Park.

British & Irish Lions tour of Australia live on Sky Sports

Sky Sports will exclusively show the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, with all three Tests against the Wallabies and six warm-up matches to be shown exclusively live.

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