British & Irish Lions vs Argentina LIVE SCORE: Andy Farrell's side kick off summer action with 1888 Cup in Dublin
THE British and Irish Lions are BACK for another summer of scintillating action!
The Lions are without a tour win since 2013, having drawn in 2017 against New Zealand, before losing to South Africa in 2021.
Before they head down under to take on Australia, the Lions, captained by Maro Itoje, will clash Argentina in Dublin for the 1888 Cup.
Andy Farrell comes into the tour as the first new manager since 2009, with Warren Gatland having taken charge of all three of the previous Lions tours.
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Reuters
15 minutes ago
- Reuters
Argentina send Lions down under with 28-24 warm-up defeat
DUBLIN, June 20 (Reuters) - Argentina beat a stuttering British and Irish Lions for the first time ever on Friday with a 28-24 warm-up game victory at the Aviva Stadium that left coach Andy Farrell with plenty to do as his squad get ready to leave for Australia. Just as they did when they last met in a 25-25 draw before the 2005 tour, the Pumas had the Lions on the ropes early thanks to tries from Ignacio Mendy and Tomas Albornoz either side of a Bundee Aki effort that gave them a deserved 21-10 halftime lead. The Lions, playing without almost half of their panel due to recent club commitments and injury, were a different animal early in the second half and regained the lead after a penalty try and another home crowd score, this time for Tadhg Beirne. But Santiago Carreras put Argentina back in front against the run of play with another great team try and the error-strewn Lions could not reply again to leave themselves five more games, all in Australia, to set things right before the first test against the Wallabies on July 19.
The Guardian
16 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Lions handed wake-up call as Argentina hang on to edge thrilling win in Dublin
The 2025 British and Irish Lions tour is up and running but here was a reminder that not everything can be minutely choreographed. This was anything but a comfortable evening for the coaches and players who were given a serious work-out prior to climbing on board the plane to Perth this weekend and embarking on their eagerly awaited Australian tour. Should they win the Test series 3-0, of course, this pre-departure wake-up call will rate as only a minor footnote in the great scheme of things. The Wallabies, nevertheless, will have taken due note of the positive manner with which Argentina approached the contest. The Pumas, despite the absence of some first-choice players, led by 11 points at half-time and battled heroically right to the end. Maybe, one day, the Lions will find it in their hearts – and wallets – to agree to a full tour of South America which, on this evidence, would be a guaranteed crowd pleaser. As for the Lions, playing in Ireland for the first time, it is too early to draw hard and fast individual conclusions but Tadhg Beirne and Sione Tuipulotu both had influential games and the two starting props Ellis Genge and Finlay Bealham initially gave their opposite numbers a notably tough time in the set scrums. It was also a more than decent occasion which further underlined the power of one of rugby's most evocative brands. Even Munster fans would have been impressed by the sea of red jerseys all around the Aviva Stadium and, despite some punchy ticket prices, the attendance was a 51,700 sellout. Everyone had been keenly aware all week that pre-departure games can be a mixed blessing. Four years ago, Alun Wyn Jones was ruled out of the early stages of the tour after damaging a shoulder against Japan at Murrayfield and the unsettling possibility of being sidelined before the plane south has left the runway inevitably hung in the humid evening air. Admittedly it was nowhere near as sultry as it was in Hong Kong in 2013 when Warren Gatland's Lions were greeted by almost unplayable conditions, with temperatures of 31C and humidity nudging 90%. The other big difference was the calibre of the opposition. The Pumas were not absolutely at full strength but whenever Pablo Matera, Juan Martín González and Julián Montoya take the field they are never less than fully committed. It required the Lions to be 'on it' from the outset because the pace of the game was nothing like a gentle friendly. Luke Cowan-Dickie came close to an opening try only to lose control of the ball in the act of scoring and, after Tomas Albornoz and Fin Smith had swapped penalties apiece, it was the Pumas who seized the initiative thanks to a nicely taken 11th-minute try by their speedy left wing Ignacio Mendy. The Lions also had a second potential score by Tuipulotu correctly ruled out for a prior knock-on by Alex Mitchell but their cohesion was steadily improving, helped by the established England half-back pairing of Mitchell and Fin Smith. Both were involved along with Marcus Smith in keeping a promising move alive before the physical Bundee Aki took the most direct available route to the try-line. Also noticeable was the collective sense of purpose; no Lions team can afford to be a team full of look-at-me individuals. These are clearly early days but Tuipulotu looks to be the kind of player any centre would love to play alongside and the calmly assured Fin Smith also looked at ease in the same red jersey worn by his grandfather, Tom Elliot, on the 1955 tour to South Africa. The scrum was also a positive area, in contrast to an initially misfiring lineout. There was also no doubting the heft of some of the Lions' defensive tackling, an area in which this squad have the potential to excel, but the odd little error was undermining their prospects. On the stroke of half-time Duhan van der Merwe, desperate to impress, lost the ball 15 metres from the line and the Pumas took gleeful advantage, Santiago Carreras releasing Albornoz for a swallow dive score at the other end. Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion The 21-10 interval scoreline demanded a swift response, which duly materialised within five minutes of the restart. The Lions opted to trust their driving maul with the line in sight and a concerted surge gave the opposing pack little option but to drag it down, costing them a penalty try and 10 minutes in the sin bin for Mayco Vivas. The raft of Lions subs also brought fresh energy and, soon enough, they were back ahead. Genge came charging through the middle in proper rhino fashion and, eventually, Beirne added the finishing gloss. The Pumas, though, also found a second wind and another daring counterattack from deep in their own half yielded their third try of the night courtesy of the pacy Santiago Cordero. If the Australian leg of the tour is equally full of thrills and spills, the next few weeks will be excellent viewing.
The Sun
18 minutes ago
- The Sun
British and Irish Lions 24 Argentina 28: Lions stunned by Pumas to lose opening match for first time in 54 years
MARO ITOJE's Lions failed to roar as they were mauled by the Pumas to start their summer with a flop. Itoje's side will fly to Australia with a massive hangover from this reverse and only days to sort themselves out down under. 3 3 3 Itoje himself was replaced with nine minutes left and although his side chucked everything at it in the final 10 the Pumas held out. The Lions had fought back from 11 points down at half-time thanks to a penalty try and a score from Tadhg Beirne made by Tomos Williams' pass. Most of the team on show have only had 10 days together and it showed with dropped passes and some wonky line outs before they hit their stride in the second half. In 2021, the Lions beat Japan 28-10 in Edinburgh in a warm-up and seven of the starters made into the run-on team in the first Test against South Africa in Cape Town. So this was an audition which England wing Tommy Freeman passed with flying colours but Duhan van der Merwe fluffed his lines. The Argentinians beat all of the southern hemisphere big dogs in the Rugby Championship last year and are no mugs and are ranked fifth in the world, three places above Australia and ahead of England, Scotland and Wales. And the best of British were 21-10 down at the break as their defence was ripped open too often for comfort. The Pumas were quickly 8-3 up thanks to a score from wing Ignacio Mendy who cut inside a back tracking Duhan van der Merwe to touch down. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS Then Itoje's side had tries for Luke Cowan-Dickie and centre Sione Tuipulotu chalked off by the TMO. Cowan-Dickie dropped the ball over the line and Alex Mitchell knocked on in the build-up to Tuipulotu's effort. The Lions scrum held up well and their attacking finally got some change out of the visitors when Bundee Aki went route one to bulldoze over on 18 minutes. But Puma fly-half Tomas Albornoz added a try from his own half to his three first-half penalties just before half-time. But Farrell must have had some harsh words at the break as the Lions came out firing and were soon over for the penalty try and Beirne's score put them into a 24-21 lead but Santiago Cordero's score grabbed it back and the Pumas stayed in front.
