โThrough [director of high performance] Peter Horne, Joe Schmidt and myself, weโre absolutely aligned on the planning of this tour and ensuring that players have the right exposure to whatโs an incredible opportunity for them,โ Waugh said.
โWe know we need to compete, which is why we have Wallabies throughout all our (Super) teams and thatโs always been part of our plan.
โWeโve always been very disciplined around meeting agreements that we have with anyone and this situation is no different to any other agreement that we hold.โ
Meanwhile, RA has presented an offer to Taniela Tupou, but Waugh understands that the tighthead prop is attracting large offers from overseas.
A key member of the Wallabiesโ squad preparing to face the Lions, Tupou has been heavily linked with a move to French giants Racing 92 when his contract with RA finishes at the end of this season.
Racing has a history of attracting some of the biggest stars in the game, including South Africaโs World Cup-winning captain Siya Kolisi.
If Tupou moves to France, he will face a 26-game season in Top 14 as opposed to Super Rugbyโs 14 fixtures, not including the rest policy for Wallabies.
โHeโs a very important player in our system, we saw that through some Test matches last year,โ Waugh said.
โI think what youโre seeing is the right-hand side of the scrum is critical to laying the platform for the team to play and Taniela has done well in that regard. Itโs very important going into the Lions series.
โWeโre working through what post-Lions looks like for Taniela. Clearly, heโs got a market internationally. Weโre working through those elements. Most importantly right now is performance against the Lions.โ
While Tupou is likely to depart Australia for France, Waugh and his team remain in discussions with two-time John Eales medallist Rob Valetini who has expressed his wish to do a sabbatical in France.
โWeโre pretty open-minded and pretty creative around how we can ensure that we get the best out of our players in our market,โ Waugh said.
โWeโve seen that with Len Ikitau and what weโve done to support Len, which essentially ensures that we keep Len in our system.
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โAnd Bobby V [Valetini], similarly, we have quite an open mind. Clearly we need to ensure that player welfare is front of mind and playing back-to-back seasons in one of the toughest positions in the game is not easy.โ
All nine matches of The British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia are live & on demand on Stan Sport, with Wallabies Tests in 4K. All Test matches live and free on Channel 9 & 9Now.
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