Rugby
British & Irish Lions v Argentina Preview And Prediction
The British & Irish Lions class of 2025 will get their first hit-out in a historic clash against Argentina at the Aviva Stadium on Friday (21:00 kick-off SA time) before they head Down Under, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.
The Northern Hemisphere all-stars will play on Irish soil for the first time ever, and to further sweeten the deal for their supporters, the 1888 Cup will be on the line. The teams last met 20 years ago when Felipe Contepomi, now coach of the Pumas, captained his country to a 25-all draw in Cardiff.
While Test caps won’t be awarded for the clash, it remains an honour for the Lions and Pumas alike, and the intensity of an international fixture should be on display in Dublin. On top of the privilege of playing for and against the famous touring side, it’ll also be a golden opportunity for players in the wider groups to put their hand up.
A total of 15 players who were involved in the United Rugby Championship and Premiership finals last Saturday joined the remainder of the Lions squad on Monday and participated in their first training session on Tuesday.
They are Leinster dozen Jack Conan, Tadhg Furlong, Ronan Kelleher, Joe McCarthy, Andrew Porter, James Ryan, Dan Sheehan, Josh van der Flier, Jamison Gibson-Park, Hugo Keenan, James Lowe and Garry Ringrose, Bath duo Finn Russell and Will Stuart and Ollie Chessum from the Leicester Tigers.
Coach Andy Farrell has refrained from starting any of these players given the physically and mentally demanding weekend they had and the short amount of time they’ve had with the squad, so this is an opportunity for players not necessarily seen as starters in the three-Test series against Australia to make a good first impression.
Similarly, the Pumas won’t be at full strength. With many of his leading players still competing in the TOP 14, it’s rather slim pickings for Contepomi. The likes of captain Julian Montoya and iconic loose forward Pablo Matera will have to carry a heavy workload as 11 members of the 32-man squad come from their three Super Rugby Americas sides Tarucas, Dogos XV and Pampas.
Given the Lions’ embarrassment of riches and the Pumas’ lack of depth, an upset is highly improbable. The focus should instead be on the winning margin, with the major intrigue being how little or commendable cohesion the Lions will have out of the gate.
With no rain on the cards, this should be an entertaining encounter with the Lions winning by at least three tries.
Prediction: British & Irish Lions by 18.
Suggested Bet: British & Irish Lions -17 at 1.90.