Preview: Cohesion the key as Lions prepare for Pumas send-off

RTÉ News​

7 hours ago

Six weeks and 10 games. It all starts tonight.
Given the make-up of the squad and coaching staff, this Lions tour feels more Irish and British than British and Irish, and Dublin is the first stop, before they head Down Under on Saturday.
The majority of the 16-strong Irish contingent in the playing group will be watching from the stands at Aviva Stadium this evening, with Rónan Kelleher the only of Leinster's BKT URC final squad asked to play two weeks in a row.
While officially this is the end of week two in the Lions camp, 15 of the squad have only been in place since Monday afternoon, with the Leinster, Bath and Leicester Tigers contingent missing last week's Portugal camp due to their club commitments.
As such, cohesion has been this week's buzz-word.
Nine of the starting 15 for this opening game against Argentina are England internationals, but that familiarity could be offset by a new coaching team whose style of play may differ from Steve Borthwick.
It's telling that his opening half-back partnership are team-mates for both club and country, with Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith teaming up behind the scrum, while Marcus Smith is patrolling the backfield at full-back, and ready to pivot to out-half if needed.
"They were the two tens in the squad last week so they've been dovetailing 10 and 15, so it's great for them to have time in the saddle to be able to do that," Farrell said of the Smiths.
"That's why it was good to, on many accounts, to train with a 23/24-man squad because it gave different people different combinations to have time and reps. New system, new calls, getting their heads around all that has allowed them to get to a point now where they're pretty excited to play together."
Selections will change, but it will be curious to see if Farrell's side play to the strength and size of their three-quarter line.
Wings Duhan van der Merwe and Tommy Freeman measure in at 6ft 4in and 6ft 3in, and weigh a couple of digits either side of 105kg. The centre combination of Bundee Aki and Sione Tuipulotu are by no means tall, but are two of the most powerful in their position in the northern hemisphere.
"I wouldn't have noticed," Farrell replied, when the size of his backline was mentioned.
Aki (above) and Tuipulotu's partnership in particular is the one that jumped off the page when the team was named on Wednesday afternoon.
Hard-running and big-hitting, the pair would initially have been expected to be in competition for the 12 shirt in the Test series next month, but if they gel as a combination while Garry Ringrose and Huw Jones are getting back to full fitness, it could be a perfect marriage.
Farrell says he wants them to become a "dominant partnership", and if their direct carrying can occupy bodies and space for others to score, it could give them a head-start on Test selection.
"So they've [Aki and Tuipulotu] been great. Getting on the same page, sharing each other's strengths and weaknesses, etc, and trying to get across what is a new system to everyone. So very diligent and excited to see that partnership, along with a few others.
"But we know that we're coming up against a side who are pretty good in those type of positions as well, you know," Farrell added.
The six Irish players n this week's matchday 23 are split evenly across the starting team and replacements; Aki and Tadhg Beirne both mark their second Lions tours at the Aviva, while Finlay Bealham starts at tighthead, less than two weeks after being called into the squad as an injury replacement for Scotland's Zander Fagerson.
His fellow Ireland international and Canberra-native Mack Hansen is among the replacements, as is Kelleher and Tadhg Furlong, who will be making his first appearance since early May after being troubled by a calf injury.
Argentina drove Ireland all the way when they last visited the Aviva back in November, and while Felipe Contepomi could be handing out three debuts off the bench, 12 of his starting team featured in that 22-19 defeat seven months ago.
Four years ago, the tour to South Africa was thrown into chaos when captain Alun-Wyn Jones (above) dislocated his shoulder just seven minutes into the warm-up fixture against Japan. Jones did recover miraculously to rejoin the squad in time for the first Test, but Justin Tipuric had no such luck, and played no further part after his injury in Edinburgh.
The head coach bristled at any suggestion players will have Saturday's flight to Australia in their sub-conscious for this game.
"I'm not even thinking about avoiding injuries, that's the furthest thing from my mind because it's just sport. This is just the nature of sport in general, never mind the contact sport that we that we love to watch and play. So it is what it is.
"We certainly, in the back of our minds, wish that we've got a healthy squad going to Australia, but we know that along the way, there's also the sorts of different implications that can happen. It's just the nature of the tour.
"This is all about putting your best foot forward as a group. They're representing the group.
"This is a full-blown Test match for us, for all that are involved internally. We're lucky to have the quality of the Argentinian side to come over and test that. It's going to be a fantastic occasion," added Farrell.
British and Irish Lions: Marcus Smith; Tommy Freeman, Sione Tuipulotu, Bundee Aki, Duhan van der Merwe; Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell; Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Finlay Bealham; Maro Itoje (capt), Tadhg Beirne; Tom Curry, Jac Morgan, Ben Earl
Argentina: Santiago Carreras; Rodrigo Isgro, Lucio Cinti, Justo Piccardo, Ignacio Mendy; Tomas Albornoz, Gonzalo García; Mayco Vivas, Julian Montoya (capt), Joel Sclavi; Franco Molina, Pedro Rubiolo; Pablo Matera, Juan Martín Gonzalez, Joaquin Oviedo