Lions demand the best
Tourists tell Wallabies to pick cream of the crop for franchises
Fiji's scrum-half Simione Kuruvoli (CL) is tackled by Australia's scrum-half Nic White (L), Australia's fly-half Carter Gordon (CR) and Australia's full-back Ben Donaldson (R) INNIE MIX: Wallaby Nic White, left
Image: AFP
THE British and Irish Lions are demanding that top Wallabies players appear for their Super Rugby sides to ensure warm-up matches are meaningful preparation for the three-Test series.
The Lions arrived in Perth on Sunday night where they will face Super Rugby side Western Force in their opening match on Australian soil on Saturday.
The Force are set to field five Wallabies - Nick Champion de Crespigny, Dylan Pietsch, Tom Robertson, Darcy Swain and Nic White - who have all been released from Australia's training in Sydney.
But teammates Carlo Tizzano and Ben Donaldson have been retained in the Wallabies camp by Australia head coach Joe Schmidt.
And Lions CEO Ben 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.”