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PENALTY TRY! Lions 17-21 Argentina
The Lions win the lineout and initiate a driving maul, but it collapses on the line. Doleman adjudges Vivas to have brought it down deliberately, awarding a penalty try and sending the Pumas prop to the sin bin.
44 min Tuipulotu goes on a marauding run up the right wing, putting Argentina on the back foot. The Lions play it through the hands all the way to Ben Earl on the far side, but he can’t find an opening. Argentina give away a penalty and Fin Smith kicks to the corner. Can the Lions get a try here?
42 min The opening exchanges of the second half are a bit scrappy. Fin Smith gets away a kick under pressure, but it goes long.
Second half kicks off!
We’re back under way at the Aviva. The Lions send up the kick and charge forwards with renewed vigour.
Right, well, we’ve all just about caught our breath from that first half, but it’s almost time for the second. John Fogarty, the Lions assistant coach, speaks to Sky on the sidelines, admitting “the guys are a little bit frustrated inside” and there were “too many errors in the first half”. He calls for more energy and focus after the break. Will the Lions answer the call?
Half-time, Lions 10-21 Argentina
Albornoz converts his own try to cap an excellent end to the first half for Argentina. It was played at a rattling pace and both sides showcased some excellent attacking rugby, but the Pumas were more ruthless in taking their chances.
The Lions are getting a stern test of their credentials, as expected. Still, it’s all to play for.
TRY! Lions 10-19 Argentina (Tomás Albornoz)
Oof, that’s a gut punch. The Lions bomb forward in search of a score before half-time, but Argentina win the ball in their own 22 and counter-attack ruthlessly. Carreras roars down the line, isolates Marcus Smith and throws a lovely pass to Albornoz, who scorches downfield to score before celebrating with the Pumas substitutes.
PENALTY! Lions 10-14 Argentina (Tomás Albornoz)
There’s no way Albornoz is going to miss from right under the posts. He strokes the ball over nonchalantly.
38 min Argentina win the scrum, just about, and go through the phases, meeting a wall of red shirts. The Lions give away advantage for offside. Mayco Vivas knocks on after a bone-crunching tackle from Tuipulotu. Doleman brings it back for the penalty.
35 min Argentina get the ball back and put Marcus Smith under pressure at full-back with a clever little kick through the lines. He manages to ground the ball for a five-metre scrum.
32 min The relentless pace eases off a bit as the two sides trade kicks. The Lions lose their own lineout, Argentina burst forward and Oviedo almost goes through. Morgan gets over the ball and forces a penalty, Oviedo failing to release. There’s a TMO review, checking a ruck where Joel Sclavi failed to engage properly, but Doleman sticks with a penalty.
30 min The Lions win the lineout and explode out of the blocks. It’s a bit rushed, however, Freeman throwing an offload which is knocked on as Aki and Tuipulotu both go for it.
28 min The Lions win another penalty at the scrum, where they have dominated so far. The kick goes to the corner.
PENALTY! Lions 10-11 Argentina (Tomás Albornoz)
Tom Curry gives away a penalty at the ruck for failing to release and Albornoz fancies his chances from a fair old distance. He nails the kick, cool as you like.
22 min There’s a review after Joaquín Oviedo accidentally clashes heads with Fin Smith at close quarters. Doleman makes a good, common-sense decision and opts to give a penalty without reaching for the yellow card.
TRY! Lions 10-8 Argentina (Bundee Aki)
The Lions get a scrum under the posts for an initial knock-on from Argentina. They play it through the hands, putting their opponents under severe pressure. Marcus Smith and Tuipulotu tee up Aki, who charges to the line and blasts past three defenders. Fin Smith converts. The Lions are off the mark.
18 min No try! The Lions win the lineout and work a lovely move, Tuipulotu crossing under the posts. Doleman gives it initially, but there’s a clear knock-on from Mitchell amid a bout of pinball between the two sides. The TMO, again, intervenes to a smattering of pantomime boos.
16 min The Lions win a scrum in a promising position. The Argentinians collapse and hand over advantage. The men in red go through the phases, Freeman almost bursting through. Doleman brings it back for the penalty, which Fin Smith kicks to the corner.
TRY! Lions 3-8 Argentina (Ignacio Mendy)
Oh that is superb. A flowing passing move from the Argentinians ends with Santiago Carreras finding Mendy out wide. He jinks inside, cutting a swathe through the Lions’ defence, and crosses to score in style. Albornoz misses the conversion.
11 min Alex Mitchell is put under pressure on the Lions’ tryline, but throws a lovely trick pass to get out of trouble.
PENALTY! Lions 3-3 Argentina (Fin Smith)
The Pumas cough up a penalty and Fin Smith steps up for a long kick to posts. It’s beautifully weighted and the Lions have their first points on the board.
9 min An inch-perfect kick from Fin Smith almost finds Morgan in the corner, but Mendy intercepts. That was so, so close.
7 min The Lions roar back immediately, Van der Merwe almost bulldozing through only to be brought down at the last. They end up with a lineout, which they win. A driving maul ends with Cowan-Dickie going over and, seemingly, scoring the first try of the 2025 tour. Replays show that he lost control of the ball as he rolled away to score, however, and the TMO overturns the on-pitch decision.
PENALTY! Lions 0-3 Argentina (Tomás Albornoz)
The kick sails serenely through the posts. It’s first blood to Argentina, who have started aggressively.
3 min Argentina push and probe early on, but Beirne intercepts a pass to kill their momentum. The two sides trade kicks before the Pumas get their first big opening, Ignacio Mendy getting within 10 metres of the try line. The Lions give away a penalty for offside. Tomás Albornoz steps up …
Kick-off!
James Doleman, the referee, blows the whistle, Argentina send up a big kick, and we are off.
The sides walk out to the customary blast of pyro. We get a lively rendition of the Argentinian national anthem. The stadium is wreathed in a kind of ethereal smoke. Hard not to be excited, isn’t it?
The teams are in the tunnel. Itoje looks laser focused. The Lions are about to walk out in Dublin for the first time. Lovely stuff.
The Lions have rattled off their pre-match huddle. The stadium is starting to fill out. A little under 10 minutes to go. Whoosh.
It looks like there are excellent vibes in and around the Aviva right now. A good few pints of Guinness put away, no doubt. (Other stouts are available.)
The two sides are out on the pitch, the backs running a few passing drills and the forwards warming up on the tackle pads. Just under half an hour to go until kick-off.
This is Andy Farrell’s first match as Lions head coach, so it’s a big night for him personally. Asked what he wants to see from the team, he says: “To be the best version of themselves. There’s no excuses, the shirt demands that.
“They’ve been together for 12 days. There was a lot of information that went into them in the first week, but this week has been a pretty normal Test week. We know the importance of the game for everyone and we’re really excited to get the show on the road.”
Meanwhile, Farrell Sr has also taken some time to share his thoughts. “It’s there for everyone to see who’s been in town today,” he says, when asked about the significance of the occasion. “It’s a sea of red that we’re accustomed to seeing with the Lions travelling support, they’ve come out in their thousands here to Dublin and made their voices heard.
“Hopefully we can put on a performance that gets them going in the stadium as well.”
Owen Farrell, who remains on standby for the Lions, is working as a Sky Sports pundit tonight. While he demurs on the possibility of him linking up with the squad at a later stage of the tour, he does open up on what it means to wear the jersey. “It’s unbelievably special. I think that word probably gets used a bit too much, but I really mean it when I talk about the Lions.
“Everything about it is different. Coming together from all four nations, the fans, everything that goes with it. It’s the best of the best, but you don’t really know what that’s like until you get here and you feel it.”
Asked what success looks like this evening, Itoje adds: “We want to win. We’re not here to just play well and lose.
“We want to win. Every time the Lions take to the field, that has to be the ambition.”
Maro Itoje has taken a moment to speak with Sky Sports before the match. “It’s been amazing,” he says, when asked how he is settling into his captaincy role. “First of all, the talent is clear for everyone to see. We have a group of men who are determined to do well, a group of men who want to succeed, so it’s been an absolute pleasure to be a part of. The coaches, the whole staff have been great, so I’m enjoying it so far.”
Asked what he’s hoping to see from the Lions against the Pumas, he says: “What I’m hoping for tonight is cohesion. We know Argentina are a good side, they’ve proved over the last couple of years what they’re about. But, from our point of view, if we’re cohesive, if we’re a tight unit, we’ll do well tonight.”
Looking for a rundown of the rest of our live coverage this weekend? Here’s everything you need to know.
The lineups
Here’s a reminder of the starting XVs, in case needed.
Lions: Marcus Smith; Tommy Freeman, Sione Tuipulotu, Bundee Aki, Duhan van der Merwe; Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell; Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Finlay Bealham, Maro Itoje (captain), Tadhg Beirne, Tom Curry, Jac Morgan, Ben Earl.
Argentina: Santiago Carreras; Rodrigo Isgró, Lucio Cinti, Justo Piccardo, Ignacio Mendy; Tomás Albornoz, Gonzalo García; Mayco Vivas, Julián Montoya (captain), Joel Sclavi, Franco Molina, Pedro Rubiolo, Pablo Matera, Juan Martín González, Joaquín Oviedo.
Preamble
And so it begins. After all the hype, buzz and anticipation, the 2025 Lions tour is about to get under way.
Before the squad fly out to Australia, there’s the small matter of a tough warm-up match against Argentina, ranked fifth in the world, at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. It will be the first time the Lions have played in Ireland, a historic occasion which the squad’s 16-strong Irish contingent will be especially keen to mark with a win. Tadhg Beirne, who will start at lock, has said as much, telling the press: “For us Irish players it’s extra special and means a lot.” Beirne was part of the Ireland side that narrowly beat Argentina 22-19 at the Aviva last November, a result which hints at just how tough this game could be.
While the Pumas’ last outing was a 37-23 defeat to France soon afterwards, their three wins at the Rugby Championship last year – against New Zealand in Wellington, Australia in Santa Fe and South Africa in Santiago del Estero – are a better measure of their mettle. Expect brutal forward play and threats across the back line.
As for the Lions, it’s early days. This is a chance to experiment, feel out different combinations and build relationships on the pitch, albeit against steely opposition.
There’s a subplot for England fans, with Steve Borthwick’s side set to face Argentina in two Tests on 5 July and 12 July. No doubt Borthwick will be keeping a close eye on proceedings.
As for the rest of us, it’s time to sit back and enjoy the ride. Here’s some pre-match reading to be going on with.
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