Wallabies give Super franchise a boost ahead of B&I Lions clash

SQUAD UPDATE: The Reds received a boost ahead of their clash against the British and Irish Lions next Wednesday.

Matt Faessler and Hunter Paisami will be released from the Wallabies squad for that match.

In total, there are eight Reds players in Joe Schmidt’s squad, but only the duo mentioned above have been released.

The Reds will be the second provincial side to face the tourists following the Western Force this weekend, with the Western Australian side keeping five of their Wallabies stars for the tour opener.

Earlier this week, the British and Irish Lions made headlines after they demanded that top Wallabies players appear for their Super Rugby sides to ensure warm-up matches are meaningful preparation for the three-Test series.

“We’ll see a competitive fixture at the weekend [against the Force] and that’s what we’re looking for,” said Lions Chief Executive Ben Calveley, who reminded Rugby Australia and Schmidt that releasing the Wallabies was part of the tour agreement.

“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.”