Overview

• Lions chief executive Ben Calveley warned Rugby Australia that withholding Test players from tour matches would breach their pre-tour agreement and undermine fixture competitiveness.
• Australia head coach Joe Schmidt rejected any requirement to field every Wallaby in warm-ups, arguing the contract only calls for best efforts to make high-quality players available.
• Schmidt plans to ring-fence a core 25-man squad for a July 6 warm-up against Fiji and may rotate key internationals among Super Rugby teams to reduce injury risk.
• The Lions, following a 28-24 defeat by Argentina in Dublin, are in Perth preparing to face Western Force on June 28 with Jamison Gibson-Park and Hugo Keenan carrying fitness concerns.
• After games against Western Force, Queensland Reds, NSW Waratahs and ACT Brumbies, the Lions open their three-Test series with Australia at Suncorp Stadium on July 19.