Perhaps the British and Irish Lions will stop inviting Argentina to their pre-tour party. 20 years on from a narrow escape and dispiriting draw kicked things off with a whimper in Cardiff for the 2005 vintage, the current crop were beaten as the Pumas had their day in Dublin. The result here, of course, is only a mere piece of a wider puzzle that Andy Farrell and his stuff will put together as they gear up for the three Tests against the Wallabies but an opening-game defeat is unique this century; to term this game portentous for the tour as a whole would be perhaps to overplay it but the Lions have set off on the wrong foot.
With a cough and a splutter, then, the steamer is sailing on its slow journey to Australia. There were plenty of good bits in a spritely performance to excite Farrell but plenty also for him to chew over as the travelling party navigate south. A surprisingly bruising affair left Duhan van der Merwe’s ankle on ice and several other tourists taking bruises and balms through security at Dublin Airport tomorrow. A faulty lineout, a few curious kicks and some anticipated handling errors on a sweaty night were other possible bugbears, though there is plenty of time to touch up certain areas before the more consequential business to end the tour.
That said, this was a true test if not a true Test, the intensity shown by both sides befitting a fully-fledged fixture rather than the warm-up affair it may come to be known as in retrospect. If, for some, games like this are sacrosanct to the Lions idea – the concept of a touring team perhaps betrayed by them now playing so regularly on home soil – there could be no doubting that this was some occasion, scarlet stands right around the Aviva Stadium with the sea of red flooding Dublin.
They were treated to a cracker of a contest, settled in some style by a sparkling score from Santiago Carreras and a performance from fly half Tomas Albornoz to bedazzle any occasion. As if in ruby slippers, the left-footed Argentina No 10 patrolled, controlled and sashayed with his own dancing feet. The Lions would have been happy enough with large parts of their showing yet their opponents were far from undeserving victors.
After months and months of speculation, how welcome to at last have actual action to analyse. These opening fixtures of the tour are rarely classics, the Lions still familiarising themselves one another, still translating the texts to become sacred come the Tests. A slightly shaky start is to be, somewhat, expected given the uniqueness of the enterprise, the melding and moulding only just underway.
Yet there had been a different feel about the 2025 crop, as rugby-focussed a group as any Lions assembly in recent memory. This selection had rather chosen itself given the significant crop involved in finals last weekend and thus, perfectly rightly, not risked, but there was still plenty of intrigue in Farrell’s line-up, from a backline built to bludgeon to a locking combo that may end up back stoking the fires in the engine room come Test-time. Farrell will have confidence that there are a few more cylinders still to fire but this was a bright enough performance in many ways, with plenty of invention and ingenuity on show in their attacking play.
It appeared the Friday night mass would have reason to roar inside eight minutes when Luke Cowan-Dickie showed serious strength to thrash to the line from a back of a maul, but the hooker’s hands were imprecise, fumbling as he attempted to ground awkwardly over his shoulder. Instead, there were muffled boos as Maro Itoje pointed to the posts; Fin Smith nonetheless replied to Albornoz’s early penalty.
The Lions had shown early glimpses of their attacking talent but the Pumas claws were just as sharp. A wonderful Albornoz pass, singeing Lucio Cinti’s midriff as it fizzed into the hands of Santiago Carreras beyond, set up a deft finish from Ignacio Mendy, before the Lions has a seconds score chalked off, this time for an Alex Mitchell knock-on in a tangle of limbs before Sione Tuipulotu collected. It was, however, third time lucky as an undeniable Bundee Aki bashed through.
Two more pings from the impressive Albornoz’s cultured left boot nonetheless left the Pumas in front before the fly half finished off something rather more telling. With the Lions searching for a strike before the interval down the left, the ball popped free and Argentina swarmed, Rodrigo Isgro and Carreras willing couriers before their 10 romped home to complete a special delivery.
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An 11-point lead felt vital given the callowness of Argentina’s bench – but that advantage, and their resources on the pitch, were soon eroded as prop Mayco Vivas cynically inserted himself from the side to halt a driving maul a metre from the line.
The temptation would be to say that Vivas’s absence proved key as the Lions struck again quickly, though had his opposite number been on the pitch, Ellis Genge might have run over him two. Three or four would-be tacklers were scattered by a cannonball charge from the Lions loosehead, setting up the position from which Tadhg Beirne could knife in.
The South Americans were not, however, going to go away. Albornoz may lack the profile of some other sporting Argentine No 10s but he is increasingly making the shirt his own, and sparked another spectacular with a delicate dummy as Santiago Cordero applied the finishing touches.
Up went the volume as the Lions reinforcements arrived, Henry Pollock, Mack Hansen and Tadhg Furlong all on to escalating cheers; the introduction of Pierre Schoeman bringing a familiar Scottish battle cry. Argentina raised the ramparts for a last stand as Elliot Daly found the corner, and the Lions soon erred, a Beirne neck roll scuppering a penalty under the posts with the margin four points. So it would remain.
