Lions’ Wake-Up Call: Argentina Defeat Reveals Gaps Before Australia Tour
So, the British and Irish Lions have kicked off their 2025 tour — and not in the way anyone hoped. A 28–24 defeat to Argentina in Dublin marks the Lions' first opening tour loss since 1971. And while that stat stings, the real takeaway here is how much Andy Farrell’s squad still needs to piece together before their Australian leg begins.
Watching that match, you could feel the ambition in the Lions' play, but the execution just wasn’t there. Sure, the structure was promising and the intent clear — sharp attacking shapes, good movement — but the delivery fell short. Offloads were either wayward or straight into Argentine hands. Timing was off, passes missed runners, and instead of building momentum, the Lions compounded errors. Farrell summed it up perfectly: "we weren't able to put the pace on the game that we wanted." This was a performance crying out for cohesion, something that, honestly, can’t be forced overnight.
And it's not just about slick passing or defensive formations. At the set-piece, we saw a split personality. The scrum was a real weapon — Ellis Genge and Finlay Bealham were immense — but the line-out? That was a different story. Eighteen throws, four lost. And even when they got the maul rolling, it felt like potential was left on the table.
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Defensively, too, there were cracks. Argentina repeatedly exploited the Lions under the high ball. They didn’t just kick and hope — they targeted weakness, and they won the aerial battle. Joe Schmidt, watching from his Australia camp, will surely have taken notes on that vulnerability. Lions backs didn’t secure loose balls, tackles were missed, and there just wasn’t that ruthless hunger we usually associate with this side.
And yet, there's opportunity. Farrell has plenty of depth to tap into, especially with key players from the Premiership and URC finals joining up. We’ll likely see James Lowe and Hugo Keenan — specialists under the high ball — getting their first run-outs soon. Plus, we’ve got Finn Russell to come in at 10, which will be fascinating after Fin Smith’s solid outing.
Of course, not everyone came out of the Argentina game with stock rising. Tommy Freeman had early chances but couldn’t make a mark. Duhan van der Merwe looked isolated and out of sync — and was subbed just moments after his aerial loss led to a try. Meanwhile, Marcus Smith at full-back feels like an experiment that didn’t really fly.
But it wasn’t all gloom. The crowd — a 51,700 sellout — brought the kind of energy that reminded us why the Lions matter. A sea of red packed the Aviva Stadium, and players like Bundee Aki felt the lift: "I got goosebumps," he said. After the empty stands in South Africa during the COVID years, this was a real Lions occasion.
This opening match was a reality check. It showed that star power alone isn’t enough — not without chemistry, not without clarity. But the talent is there, the fixtures are ahead, and if they can learn from this bruising start, Australia might still see the Lions roar.
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