Maro Itoje to captain Lions for first time against Argentina
Itoje leads a starting XV that features Marcus Smith at full-back and will be directed by England half-backs Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith.
Tadhg Furlong will be given the opportunity to prove his fitness after struggling with a calf injury that ruled him out of Leinster's United Rugby Championship final victory over the Bulls.
Our team to face Argentina in Dublin! 🦁#Lions2025
— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) June 18, 2025
Furlong is included on a bench that also features hooker Ronan Kelleher, the only player to be involved against the Pumas six days after taking part in the end-of-season finals.
'Congratulations to Maro Itoje ahead of leading out the Lions for the first time. It's a truly special moment and one that very few players ever get to experience,' head coach Andy Farrell said.
'Maro has led the group well during our time in Portugal and then Dublin this week. This is also our first opportunity to show what the 2025 Lions are about and what we want to stand for as a team.'
Furlong has been troubled by calf and hamstring injuries all season, forcing him to miss the 2024 autumn series and this year's Six Nations.
If fit, the three-times Lions tourist will be favourite to start at tighthead prop in the Test series against the Wallabies. He has the curtain raiser to the tour of Australia to prove he is ready.
Duhan van der Merwe is another player looking to demonstrate his fitness ahead of Saturday's departure Down Under, having been limited to just 11 minutes of action since the Six Nations because of ankle ligament damage.
The Scotland wing is part of a heavy duty three-quarter line that features England try machine Tommy Freeman and bulldozing centres Bundee Aki and Sione Tuipulotu.
As many as 14 players could make their Lions debuts in the tourists' first-ever match on Irish soil, among them the rising star of English rugby Henry Pollock, following his selection on the bench.
Pollock – at 20 years old, the squad's youngest player – provides cover for starting flankers Tom Curry and Jac Morgan.
Much of Farrell's first-team selection as Lions head coach picked itself, given 15 of his stars were involved in the URC and Gallagher Premiership finals on Saturday, effectively ruling them out against Argentina.
Kelleher's participation at Croke Park was limited to 25 minutes off the bench.
'We know that Argentina will challenge us up front and out wide – so Friday night will be a tough contest, but also a great occasion for all the fans,' Farrell said.
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South Wales Guardian
20 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
That's how it should be – Andy Farrell insists Lions places still up for grabs
Maro Itoje captains the Lions for the first time and is joined in the starting XV by Marcus Smith, who has been picked at full-back behind an all-England half-back partnership of Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith. Ireland prop Tadhg Furlong is given the opportunity to prove his fitness after being named on the bench for the Aviva Stadium showdown having been sidelined since early May because of a calf strain. As many as 14 players could make their Lions debuts before the squad departs for Australia on Saturday and Farrell has demanded they make an immediate impact if they want a shot at facing the Wallabies. Our team to face Argentina in Dublin! 🦁#Lions2025 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) June 18, 2025 'I did an exercise a couple of weeks ago, and I've done it about five times since, of choosing what the Test side could be,' the head coach said. 'You actually can't even go there because there's such good competition and that's how it should be. 'The exciting thing about Friday night is these guys get to show the team-mates who are sat in the stand what they're all about. 'We are looking for cohesion, connection and an ability to attack the game from the off. 'You can give yourself any excuse as far as time together is concerned, but we've had good prep and if you want to be a good Lions player you've got to hit your straps straight from the off.' Furlong has been troubled by calf and hamstring injuries all season, forcing him to miss the entire 2024 autumn series and all but one match of the Six Nations. If fit, the three-time Lions tourist will be favourite to start at tighthead prop in the Test series against the Wallabies, but first he must negotiate the curtain raiser against a Pumas side ranked fifth in the world. 'Tadhg is fit and ready to go and train well and as keen as everyone else to get the show on the road,' Farrell said. Duhan van der Merwe is another player looking to demonstrate his fitness ahead of Saturday's departure Down Under having been limited to just 11 minutes of action since the Six Nations because of ankle ligament damage. ¡Vamos Los Pumas! Toda la información: — Unión Argentina de Rugby (@unionargentina) June 18, 2025 The Scotland wing is part of a heavy duty threequarter line that features England try machine Tommy Freeman and bulldozing centres Bundee Aki and Sione Tuipulotu. Farrell delivered positive fitness updates on Jamison Gibson-Park (glute), Huw Jones (Achilles) and Hugo Keenan (calf), stating that all three should be available for the the first match in Australia against Western Force on Saturday week. Argentina were also the warm-up opponents in 2005 when they held Sir Clive Woodward's Lions to a 25-25 draw in Cardiff. 'It's a tremendous opportunity for myself and the whole team. This is our first opportunity to set the standard that we want to be set and be the kind of team that we want to be,' Itoje said.
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