The British and Irish Lions’ 2025 tour of Australia has encountered early turbulence, with a growing dispute over the availability of Wallabies players for provincial warm-up matches. Lions chief executive Ben Calveley has called on Rugby Australia to honour what he describes as a clear agreement ensuring Test players are released to their Super Rugby clubs ahead of the three-Test series beginning 19 July.
The Lions’ first clash on Australian soil is against the Western Force this Saturday, where five Wallabies — including experienced scrum-half Nic White — have been made available. White’s inclusion offers the Force a welcome injection of leadership and international experience. Also released are Nick Champion de Crespigny, Dylan Pietsch, Tom Robertson and Darcy Swain.
However, other Wallabies remain in national camp, with Australia head coach Joe Schmidt opting to retain players like Carlo Tizzano and Ben Donaldson, along with key Test stars such as Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Taniela Tupou. Schmidt plans to ring-fence 25 players in preparation for Australia’s lone warm-up fixture against Fiji on July 6, citing player welfare and scheduling conflicts.
“The agreement is very clear – Test players have to be released to play in fixtures leading into that series. That is our expectation,” said Calveley. “It’s not just about performance, but fairness to fans, partners and broadcasters who expect competitive fixtures.”
But Schmidt has pushed back firmly. Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, he defended the decision to manage his squad carefully in light of overlapping match dates and injury risk. “The ambition is there will be some going back to the Reds and some going back to the Waratahs,” he said, “but you can’t expect players to turn out on a Saturday for their club and then again Sunday in a Test-level match.”
He also took a subtle dig at the Lions’ selection policy, referring to centres Bundee Aki and Sione Tuipulotu — born in New Zealand and Australia respectively — as a “southern-hemisphere centre partnership.” His comments extended to other overseas-born Lions including James Lowe, Jamison Gibson-Park and Duhan van der Merwe.
Meanwhile, the Lions are set to face the Queensland Reds, ACT Brumbies and NSW Waratahs before the first Test in Brisbane. Their final warm-up will be in Adelaide against a composite invitational side. That match faces its own challenges: while Les Kiss has been named head coach, few players have publicly committed. Star draw Richie Mo’unga is ruled out with a broken hand, and former Wallaby Michael Hooper has declined to come out of retirement.
The debate echoes issues faced on the Lions’ 2021 tour of South Africa, when COVID-19 restrictions prevented the Springboks from releasing players to club sides — a contrast to the Lions’ 2017 New Zealand tour, where stars like Rieko Ioane and Sam Whitelock featured in warm-ups.
As the countdown to the Test series continues, the standoff raises questions about the balance between player welfare, commercial obligations and competitive integrity — with both camps unwilling to give much ground.
