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Meanwhile, Farrell Sr has also taken some time to share his thoughts. “It’s there for everyone to see who’s been in town today,” he says, when asked about the significance of the occasion. “It’s a sea of red that we’re accustomed to seeing with the Lions travelling support, they’ve come out in their thousands here to Dublin and made their voices heard.
“Hopefully we can put on a performance that gets them going in the stadium as well.”
Owen Farrell, who remains on standby for the Lions, is working as a Sky Sports pundit tonight. While he demurs on the possibility of him linking up with the squad at a later stage of the tour, he does open up on what it means to wear the jersey. “It’s unbelievably special. I think that word probably gets used a bit too much, but I really mean it when I talk about the Lions.
“Everything about it is different. Coming together from all four nations, the fans, everything that goes with it. It’s the best of the best, but you don’t really know what that’s like until you get here and you feel it.”
Asked what success looks like this evening, Itoje adds: “We want to win. We’re not here to just play well and lose.
“We want to win. Every time the Lions take to the field, that has to be the ambition.”
Maro Itoje has taken a moment to speak with Sky Sports before the match. “It’s been amazing,” he says, when asked how he is settling into his captaincy role. “First of all, the talent is clear for everyone to see. We have a group of men who are determined to do well, a group of men who want to succeed, so it’s been an absolute pleasure to be a part of. The coaches, the whole staff have been great, so I’m enjoying it so far.”
Asked what he’s hoping to see from the Lions against the Pumas, he says: “What I’m hoping for tonight is cohesion. We know Argentina are a good side, they’ve proved over the last couple of years what they’re about. But, from our point of view, if we’re cohesive, if we’re a tight unit, we’ll do well tonight.”
Looking for a rundown of the rest of our live coverage this weekend? Here’s everything you need to know.
The lineups
Here’s a reminder of the starting XVs, in case needed.
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 (captain), Tadhg Beirne, Tom Curry, Jac Morgan, Ben Earl.
Argentina: Santiago Carreras; Rodrigo Isgró, Lucio Cinti, Justo Piccardo, Ignacio Mendy; Tomás Albornoz, Gonzalo García; Mayco Vivas, Julián Montoya (captain), Joel Sclavi, Franco Molina, Pedro Rubiolo, Pablo Matera, Juan Martín González, Joaquín Oviedo.
Preamble
And so it begins. After all the hype, buzz and anticipation, the 2025 Lions tour is about to get under way.
Before the squad fly out to Australia, there’s the small matter of a tough warm-up match against Argentina, ranked fifth in the world, at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. It will be the first time the Lions have played in Ireland, a historic occasion which the squad’s 16-strong Irish contingent will be especially keen to mark with a win. Tadhg Beirne, who will start at lock, has said as much, telling the press: “For us Irish players it’s extra special and means a lot.” Beirne was part of the Ireland side that narrowly beat Argentina 22-19 at the Aviva last November, a result which hints at just how tough this game could be.
While the Pumas’ last outing was a 37-23 defeat to France soon afterwards, their three wins at the Rugby Championship last year – against New Zealand in Wellington, Australia in Santa Fe and South Africa in Santiago del Estero – are a better measure of their mettle. Expect brutal forward play and threats across the back line.
As for the Lions, it’s early days. This is a chance to experiment, feel out different combinations and build relationships on the pitch, albeit against steely opposition.
There’s a subplot for England fans, with Steve Borthwick’s side set to face Argentina in two Tests on 5 July and 12 July. No doubt Borthwick will be keeping a close eye on proceedings.
As for the rest of us, it’s time to sit back and enjoy the ride. Here’s some pre-match reading to be going on with.
English (US)