Dublin – This was rarely assumed the British and Irish Lions. A non-characteristic error against the energetic Argentine team lost 28-24 to Dublin’s Pumer on Friday evening when they tested a new look combination together.
The sloppy defeat has made a timely reminder of the scale of the tasks facing coach coach Andy Farrell as he aims to build a team in the next four weeks, where he can win a Test series for the first time since 2013.
Behind this there are some issues with Farrell ironing, even before Farrell leaves the home shore with a lineout malfunction, and tourists still don’t live in the total of their parts.
Instead, this was a famous night for Argentina.
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It was their eighth match against the Lions in a fixture dating back to 1910, but it was their first victory. “We ask a lot of players. Maybe we looked disconnected from one to the other, so we put too much pressure on the side,” Farrell said afterwards.
Straight to the fire
It was meant to be a festival celebrating one of the greatest institutions in the sport, and there was absolutely no planning for the Lions. The suggestion that this is just a “warm-up” match, or a Lions cash grab, in front of the sold-out 51,700 Aviva Stadium, was out of hand by Farrell this week. He called on his team to play at Test intensity from the start.
He emphasized the need for the team to impress on Friday as players in the stands are waiting for their opportunity as they arrive in Australia. This was the starting line for the Sprint to get the test spot. Instead, it was the blue and white people who gated the Lions farewell party and danced along the touchline.
So instead of riding the wave of opening victory all the way to Australia, the Lions set off with a few bruises.
“You can only get better from here,” Bundy Aki said afterwards. “We have nine games before us, and none of them are easy.”
The Lions lost four lineouts on their own throws, but the player’s nerves and unfamiliarity with each other saw the uncharacteristic error creeping up.
Of course, the true importance of Friday’s game will be judged quite a bit in time. If they won in Australia, this match was the dangerous first chapter of the famous tour. However, if they lose to the bottom, the match will be retroactively analyzed, pulled apart, looking for early signs of future decline.
All the streets in Dublin appeared to be mixed with Lions Red and Cowboy Hats and denim. The hotel prices pass through the roof, and this part of the world also dances towards the sounds of the country music Star Zack Brian, with 180,000 fans expected to attend Phoenix Park about three miles from Lions Den at Aviva Stadium.
The stadium was sold out, and the Red Sea dropped the towels for preparation for the next six weeks, which culminated in these three tests in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
Supporters either wore new jerseys from the crop or dumped worn-out memorabilia from previous tours. Ugo Monye, Owen Farrell, Jamie Roberts, Paul O’Connell, Dwayne Peel and Alun Wyn Jones found match day with familiar faces everywhere.
Jones captained the Lions in his third Test in 2013 and served as tour captain in 2021. He retired from the sport in November 2023 and has since seen Osprey and Wales firsthand, so this Lions saw the opportunity to get some sort of closure on the third and final pillar of his amazing career.
He watched as the group began their journey in 2025. And there was a natural growth pain.
There are signs of promise
With nine England players in the starting lineup, there was a familiar combination that included Northampton and England duo Alex Mitchell and FinSmith linking at halfbacks, but this was the first time this group of groups had joined the field with eight first lions on their team. We saw Bundy Aki and Cione Choiporz join together at the center – a combination that can be seen again in the Test Series – the backrow put together an agile trio of Jack Morgan, Ben Earle and Tom Curry.
The second row of Captain Malo Itoge and Tadog Bale also had the look of a pairing for the Lions Test. But that’s still a speculation. It’s a match like this that shapes the final line up that will face Australia.
Argentina didn’t have around six starting players due to the club’s commitment in France, but it was amazing. The standout player on the field was Arbonos, and he adjusted everything perfectly and easily. And when Ignacio Mendy left Marcus Smith and left Duhan van der Melwe, who was stuck in the dot down, it was Pumas who started the score.
By that point, the Lions had not already tried for Luke Cowan Dicky for knock-on, but Twiprotou choked another for another knock-on in the 17th minute. However, it was Aki that the Lions got their first attempt in the 2025 series when he did one to skittle the blue and white defenses.
But that was the highlight of the first half of the Lions. Morgan and Tommy Freeman were impressed, but Finn Smith did well in the fly half, but they were inconsistent and their lineout was volatile. And they were defensively uncertain, perhaps caught up in philosophy, and at a stroke of halftime, Argentina jumped into the loose ball outside their 22. It was a special attempt, giving Argentina a 21-10 lead on the break.
Puma seemed much more familiar – naturally – but the crowd was expected. They were welcomed every time the Lions chose to kick the corner while taking a kickable penalty. And after a break, the Lions forced a penalty try 46 minutes later, playing at a higher intensity as loose headed Maco Vivas committed a crime in the process.
And then Farrell’s side pushed forward. A stormy break from Ellis Jenge in the 53rd minute gave the Lions field position and the ball spotted Bailun, who crashed after Marcus Smith ignored Freevan der Melwe.
Along with the conversion, the Lions had a three-point lead. But that was where the lions were stuck and Argentina didn’t leave. In the 58th minute, Santiago Cordero chased a brilliantly weighted kick from Mattias Moroni to dot the dot before Marcus Smith. As the Lions were pushed out at the closing stage, they were able to find some accuracy in the lineout (finally) but the Argentine defense was tall and it was Puma who was partying when they drove the ball into the red sea at the edge.
Aftermath and fast turnaround
So now there’s a process to move this forward. That’s the beauty of the Lions Tour. As all the matches pass and the tests approach, those watching the sport will choose the starting XV in Brisbane on July 19th.
Tommy Freeman was impressed with the wings, but the front row duo of Ellis Jenge and Finlay Bealham were solid. Aki-Tuipolotu Partnership is a work in progress, but Marcus Smith and Van Der Merwe were occasionally captured defensively on fullbacks. The lineout requires strict attention, but the scrum itself was primarily healthy.
Tadhg Furlong has obtained essential minutes from the injured bench since mid-May, but still the defeat is stabbed. “The pain I lost, especially in this jersey,” Farrell said. “We need to find a solution quickly and be honest with ourselves. There must be good things to come.”
This was an opportunity for nostalgia before this group to be quite a task and blurred. Last year’s Lions legend was constantly appearing on the big screen of Aviva. The mission of those who played against Argentina and those who were sitting in the stands is to clad in Lions folklore. That is the mission of this group.
They are looking for their first series victory since 2013 and a chance to etch historical names.
However, this was a performance packed with errors from tourists and instead was an Argentina day.