At last we’re off and running with the Lions taking on the Pumas in their warm up game before things kick off down under. The game is being played at the Aviva Stadium this Friday evening and is being shown live on Stan. But enough of the preliminaries let’s crack on.
Lions coach Andy Farrell must’ve been sweating as he watched the URC and Premiership finals last weekend. With 12 of his squad scheduled to play, picking up further injuries was a serious concern but everyone seems to have come through unscathed. However, this has meant that he has had to pick almost exclusively from players who were training in Portugal last week and with so many of the Leinster players in the squad rested after the weekend’s URC final it’s hardly a surprise that the match day squad includes 11 SDs.
The centre pairing catches the eye, with Bundee Aki and Sione Tuipulotu considered rivals for the Test number 12 jersey but playing together here, while Marcus Smith is at fullback with Hugo Keenan not in the 23 and Blair Kinghorn unavailable. There’s familiarity in the form of the Northampton half-backs, two of nine Englishmen in the starting XV, but arguably the most significant selection comes on the bench with Tadhg Furlong named as a replacement.
Furlong was a rock of the Test team on the past two Lions tours, but has been dogged by injury of late. His return to fitness is a huge boost, especially with Zander Fagerson already ruled out.
Lions v Argentina Saturday, 21 June 2025. 4.50am AEST live on Stan.
Argentina have named a strong team to face the Lions led by Julian Montoya of Leicester Tigers. Santiago Carreras, who will move to Bath from Gloucester this summer, is at fullback with Tomas Albornoz at flyhalf. Saracens flanker Juan Martin Gonzalez is part of a useful back row completed by the experienced Pablo Matera and Perpignan #8 Joaquin Oviedo. They’ll give the Lions back row a good test. The Pumas are without several of their France-based players with Toulouse’s versatile back Juan Cruz Mallia and Bordeaux-Begles second row Guido Petti involved in the Top 14 play-offs. Prop Thomas Gallo is also absent.
Argentina: Carreras; Isgro, Cinti, Piccardo, Mendy; Albornoz, Garcia; Vivas, Montoya (c), Sclavi, Molina, Rubiolo, Matera, Gonzalez, Oviedo Replacements: Bernasconi, Wenger, Coria Marchetti, Grondona. S, Moro, Benitez Cruz, Moroni, Cordero
British & Irish Lions: Smith; Freeman, Tuipulotu, Aki, Van der Merwe; Smith, Mitchell; Genge, Cowan-Dickie, Bealham, Itoje, Beirne, Curry, Morgan, Earl. Replacements: Kelleher, Schoeman, Furlong, Cummings, Pollock, Williams, Daly, Hansen.
So what can we expect. For one, I don’t anticipate intricate attacking plans but be prepared to see Aki running off short angles from either Finn Smith or Tuipuloto and the big wingers taking the ball into heavy traffic. Marcus Smith also gives the option of a second playmaker on the counter attack. Nothing but a win will do and pretty please no injuries.
Anyway, enough of my waffle, it’s on with the show. Look out for my match report on Saturday.
