AUSTRALIA head coach Joe Schmidt has pushed back against the British and Irish Lions.
The former Leinster and Ireland coaches’ comments come amid demands that Wallabies players be released to their Super Rugby clubs during the upcoming tour.
Lions chief executive Ben Calveley had urged that all Australia internationals be made available to the Western Force, Reds, Waratahs and Brumbies ahead of the Test series against Schimdt’s Wallbie outfit.
The Lions CEO cited a tour agreement that guarantees their participation.
Andy Farrell is keen for his Lions squad to face a match-fit and fully competitive Wallabies side when the Test series begins on July 19.
But Schmidt has insisted he will protect a group of 25 core players by holding them back for Australia’s warm-up fixture against Fiji on July 6.
The New Zealand-born Aussie boss is aiming to reduce injury risk before the opening Test.
Schmidt was speaking with the Sydney Morning Herald ahead of the Lions opening clash on Australian soil against the Waratahs this Saturday.
He said “There’s some serious plate-spinning at the moment, trying to get ready.
“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 tour’s 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.”
Just last week the Kiwi has a cheeky pop at Andy Farrell’s squad.
Schmidt called Bundee Aki and Sione Tuipulotu’s Lions partnership in the midfield as a “southern-hemisphere centre partnership”.
Both Aki and Tuipulotu were born in New Zealand and Australia respectively, and the duo lined out in midfield for the Lions’ defeat against Argentina on Friday in Dublin.
Farrell’s Lions take on the Waratahs on Saturday at 11am Irish local time.
