Andy Farrell vows British & Irish Lions will face harsh truths after Argentina defeat
CELEBRATION Argentina's Simon Benitez Cruz (2L) celebrates following the warm-up International rugby union match between The British and Irish Lions and Argentina at Aviva Stadium in Dublin on June 20, 2025 Picture: Paul Faith/AFP
Image: Paul Faith/AFP
Andy Farrell insisted he would demand an improved performance from his British and Irish Lions when they arrive in Australia after their 28-24 defeat by Argentina in Dublin.
The Lions lost after their second-half fightback on Friday was cut short by Santiago Cordero's match-winning try for the Pumas in the 59th minute.
Farrell's squad, comprised of leading players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, travel to Australia on Saturday before facing the Perth-based Western Force a week later in the first of several warm-up games ahead of a three-Test series with the Wallabies.
Argentina, ranked fifth in the world, had already defeated France, New Zealand, Australia and world champions South Africa in the past 12 months, with the Pumas tough opponents for a 'scratch' Lions side playing their first match of the tour.
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Lions Head Coach Farrell Reflects on Error-Strewn Performance Against Argentina
But Lions head coach Farrell, seconded to the combined side from his 'day job' as Ireland boss, refused to cite a lack of cohesion as the reason for his side's error-strewn display in front of a sold-out Aviva Stadium.
'We made it a tough game,' he said. 'Congratulations to Argentina, they thoroughly deserved to win the match. I'm sure that's a big moment in Argentinean rugby history.
'We had plenty of opportunities and we should have done better to convert them, but the whole story of the game is that we compounded too many errors.'
The former England international added: 'I wouldn't give familiarity as an excuse. We need to be better than that. The Lions are good players coming together.
'We won't sugar-coat this. We need to be honest because if we're not honest, how do we gain trust with each other?
'Losing hurts, especially in this jersey. We need to find the solutions pretty quickly and be honest with ourselves because some good has to come from this.'
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CELEBRATION Argentina's Simon Benitez Cruz (2L) celebrates following the warm-up International rugby union match between The British and Irish Lions and Argentina at Aviva Stadium in Dublin on June 20, 2025 Picture: Paul Faith/AFP Image: Paul Faith/AFP Andy Farrell insisted he would demand an improved performance from his British and Irish Lions when they arrive in Australia after their 28-24 defeat by Argentina in Dublin. The Lions lost after their second-half fightback on Friday was cut short by Santiago Cordero's match-winning try for the Pumas in the 59th minute. Farrell's squad, comprised of leading players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, travel to Australia on Saturday before facing the Perth-based Western Force a week later in the first of several warm-up games ahead of a three-Test series with the Wallabies. Argentina, ranked fifth in the world, had already defeated France, New Zealand, Australia and world champions South Africa in the past 12 months, with the Pumas tough opponents for a 'scratch' Lions side playing their first match of the tour. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Lions Head Coach Farrell Reflects on Error-Strewn Performance Against Argentina But Lions head coach Farrell, seconded to the combined side from his 'day job' as Ireland boss, refused to cite a lack of cohesion as the reason for his side's error-strewn display in front of a sold-out Aviva Stadium. 'We made it a tough game,' he said. 'Congratulations to Argentina, they thoroughly deserved to win the match. I'm sure that's a big moment in Argentinean rugby history. 'We had plenty of opportunities and we should have done better to convert them, but the whole story of the game is that we compounded too many errors.' The former England international added: 'I wouldn't give familiarity as an excuse. We need to be better than that. The Lions are good players coming together. 'We won't sugar-coat this. We need to be honest because if we're not honest, how do we gain trust with each other? 'Losing hurts, especially in this jersey. We need to find the solutions pretty quickly and be honest with ourselves because some good has to come from this.'
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