Australia and Lions yet to resolve tour sticking point / Photo: Saeed KHAN - AFP
Australia and Lions yet to resolve tour sticking point
A British and Irish Lions demand that top Wallabies appear for their club sides to ensure competitive tour matches is yet to be resolved, Rugby Australia said on Friday.
The Lions arrived in Perth last weekend with chief executive Ben Calveley warning the governing body that releasing key players was part of the tour agreement.
But on the eve of their opening match against Western Force, the two sides are still at loggerheads.
"It's still not resolved, but we need to work constructively to resolve it," RA chief executive Phil Waugh told News Corp. newspapers following several meetings on the issue.
"We've got a very clear position on it and we're working with them to resolve it and so hopefully that'll be resolved imminently."
The Force will field six Wallabies who have been released from Australia's training in Sydney.
But teammates Carlo Tizzano, Jeremy Williams and Harry Potter have been held back by Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt.
Only two Queensland Reds players -- Matt Faessler and Hunter Paisami -- have been released for the Lions' second game in Brisbane next week, with six others remaining with the extended Australian squad.
The tourists' third match against NSW Waratahs is a day before the Wallabies play Fiji, so there is unlikely to be a slew of releases for that game.
Australia are keen to avoid key players picking up injuries ahead of the three-Test Lions series, which starts in Brisbane on July 19.
"Like all agreements, interpretation is a big part of them," Waugh said, noting that it was a balance between player welfare and ensuring every game was as competitive as possible.
But he stressed that RA and the Lions have "a really constructive partnership alliance".
"It's been strong right through from the establishment of the joint venture and the planning for the tour and so we're working constructively with them in partnership for the tour," he added.
Calveley told reporters this week that the agreement with RA was "very clear".
"It says that Test players have to be released to play in fixtures leading into that series. That is our expectation," he said.
Lions coach Andy Farrell steered clear of the topic when pressed on Thursday.
"For me I've got enough on my plate making sure that we deal with ourselves, certainly at this period of the early stages of the tour," he said.
"I understand your question, but I'll allow the powers that be who know all the answers to the what-ifs to get on with it."
W.Wouters--JdB
