While some members of the Lions’ media pack have stood firmly behind the team CEO’s ultimatum to Rugby Australia and Joe Schmidt over the make-up of Aussie state teams, there has been at least one dissenting voice back home.
Lions CEO Ben Calveley fronted a media conference earlier this week where he warned Schmidt he must release his Test stars to play provincial games against the tourists or risk breaking the tour agreement.
“We want to make sure our guys are battle hardened when it comes to that Test series against the Wallabies. 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,” Calveley told reporters in Perth.
The Wallabies coach bit back, saying there was no agreement that he had to release all of his Wallabies players.
“I’m not sure whether Andy (Farrell) was part of that discussion or whether it was just coming from the CEO, but I’ve read the tours agreement and it’s having the best intention to have the highest-quality players available and playing,” said Schmidt.
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
“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.”
While the Daily Mail’s Nik Simon thundered that Schmidt ‘must release stars or the tour will be a farce’, a very different tack was taken by Derek Foley, who fired up at the Lions brass in his Irish Mirror column.
“If the Lions were casual in insulting Argentina, their latest volley fired at Australia demonstrates a step-up in off-hand arrogance,” Foley wrote.
“They had no sooner arrived in-country then there was an insistence, no less, that Australia use full-strength teams in the build-up games to the Tests.
“A full-on demand that they don’t hold back any international players from the Force, Reds, Brumbies and Waratahs games rang out loud and clear … from Lions CEO Ben Calveley.
“That’s right. ‘Ben Calveley’. No, you have most likely never heard of him but he decided to take a press conference in Perth – rather than use, say, a coach or a player instead – and dropped a complete, embarrassing, ‘clanger’.
“Perhaps he will meet Joe Schmidt in the next while and realise the former Ireland and current Australia coach is no muppet and can stand up for himself.”
Foley argued that none of the recent Ireland coaches – including Lions coach Andy Farrell and Schmidt – would have agreed to have their Test teams split up around the provinces during an international tour.
Foley, meanwhile, was bemused that Calveley held a media conference in the first place.
“It is simply hard to understand, almost brain-hurting, why a CEO would want to take a press conference in the first place,” he wrote.
“Surely a speech early on at some dinner telling us how delighted the Lions were to be touring Australia, how he had loved Olivia Newton John or that he knew a guy who adored Nick Cave, would have sufficed.
“While when it comes to collateral damage, Farrell is not going to be pleased at being upstaged, blind-sided, that there is publicity that’s not controllable.
“It is unlikely the Man of Steel thinks it’s a good idea to offend the hosts, make his touring party look crass and overbearing from day one.
“They are already regretting insulting Argentina by not deeming the Lions-Argentina game worthy of awarding caps. That the team ranked no5 in the world was somehow inferior (Australia are ranked no8 and there are caps for all three games).
“His CEO has handed Schmidt – who already mindful of Force and their fans’ needs had released players back – simple ammunition with which to motivate Australia, the entire nation.”
‘Some of the off-loads were crazy’
Two-time Lion Dan Biggar says he’s remaining upbeat about the Lions chances on tour despite the rustiness they showed in the loss to Argentina.
“The two British & Irish Lions tours I went on as a player in 2017 and 2021 both started with a bit of rustiness – as Andy Farrell’s class of 2025 did last Friday night,” he wrote.
“It feels to me like there has been quite a bit of doom and gloom about the Lions’ defeat by Argentina in Dublin. But I don’t share in that mood.”
While Biggar said the Lions’ execution was off, they showed plenty of promise in their attacking structure.
‘They made too many errors against the Pumas, forcing passes when they weren’t on and coughing up possession as a result. That was the reason they lost the game,” wrote Biggar.
“Some off the offloads thrown by the players were crazy. There were nine in total which were unsuccessful. That’s way too many. Normally, you’d be looking for that number to be two or three across 80 minutes. The players will need to take individual accountability for those. And knowing [Andy] Farrell as I do having worked with him, he will be saying in no uncertain terms that has to stop.
“From my experience as a No. 10, the hardest part of a Lions tour is gelling a team together into a coherent attacking system.
“On the evidence of the Argentina game, the Lions have done that well. I really liked the look of their attack shape. It had a nice structure to it.
“As a team, they made 150 carries and beat 39 defenders against Argentina. These are promising numbers.
“If they continue to work on that and cut out the unnecessary offloads, they have the makings of a very, very good team.”
Biggar sounded a note of concern over the Lions’ No.15 jersey.
Marcus Smith of England during the Autumn Nations Series 2025 match between England and Australia at Allianz Stadium on November 09, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Marcus Smith played their against the Pumas while Scotland’s Blair Kinghorn is still playing club rugby in France and won’t arrive on tour until next week.
“I don’t think Marcus Smith has a chance of starting the Australia Tests at full-back – the position he played against Argentina. Marcus Smith is a brilliant attacking threat. I loved being in the same Lions squad as him in South Africa in 2021. He’s giving it everything at No. 15, but I just don’t think he’s suited to the position. Full-back is a bit of an issue for the Lions,” wrote Biggar.
‘Surprises you he’s not a dickhead’
Enemies have become friends on the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia after Dan Sheehan revealed that Ireland target Ellis Genge is now a valued team-mate.
Previously front-row rivals, Sheehan and Genge have joined forces on the 10-fixture expedition Down Under with both players strong contenders to start the first Test against the Wallabies on 19 July.
Sheehan’s Ireland would hunt down Genge during the Six Nations knowing he is among England’s most impactful players, but since coming into camp the Leinster hooker has seen a different side to the fiery prop.
“It’s mad how fast you can go from despising people to hanging around with them and going for coffee!” Sheehan said.
“It’s probably just that rugby blokes are good blokes and you can turn on the hatred when you want it. But getting to know people has been one of the most enjoyable parts of the last few weeks.
“Genge would be a good one. He’s obviously a passionate, animated player for England and someone who we, as Ireland, would consider as a talisman and someone, in an Irish jersey, we’d need to target.
“Now he’s one person you enjoy having on the team. And he’s a funny bloke off the pitch. Everyone loves him. You can see the passion he brings to meetings, on to the pitch and in the scrum.
“He’s very real and says it how it is. He’s definitely someone that surprises you that he’s not a dickhead.”
‘Everyone has a different path’
Lions flyhalf Finn Russell has come to the defence of the southern hemisphere born members of the squad following a sly dig by Joe Schmidt.
Schmidt referred to New-Zealand-born Bundee Aki and Australian-born Sione Tuipulotu as a “southern hemisphere centre pairing” as the Ireland and Scotland stars teamed up against Argentina in Dublin.
“For me, as a Scot, I have no issues with them being born in New Zealand or Australia,” Russell told BBC Sport.
“Everyone has their different background and different path into rugby and where we are now. These boys definitely deserve their spot in the team.”
(With the Press Association)
