The British and Irish Lions made a hugely disappointing start to their summer as Argentina pulled off a deserved upset in Dublin.
The Pumas, despite missing several key players due to Top 14 commitments in France, claimed the 1888 Cup with a thrilling 28-24 victory at the Aviva Stadium on Friday night, making it a damp squib of a farewell for Andy Farrell’s side, who have plenty of work to do as they now head Down Under for a nine-game tour that includes three Tests against Australia.
It was the perfect warm-up for a looming two-Test home series against weakened England next month for Argentina, who achieved their first-ever win over the Lions at the eighth attempt in their first meeting for 20 years, successfully banishing memories of 2005, when they were denied a famous triumph by a last-gasp Jonny Wilkinson penalty for a flat Clive Woodward team in Cardiff.
For the Lions, an unexpected early hiccup as they lost their summer opener for the first time since 1971, when they famously went on to beat the All Blacks in New Zealand.
Argentina, ranked at No5 in the world and with victories over all of New Zealand, South Africa, France and Australia to their name in 2024, edged the early kicking battle and drew first blood when fly-half Tomas Albornoz made no mistake from the tee.
Duhan van der Merwe - who would later have his ankle iced on the bench after going off in the second half - looked to respond for the Lions, who thought they had hit back quickly before Luke Cowan-Dickie’s score was chalked off for a knock-on.
Fin Smith’s first Lions points with a penalty levelled proceedings, only for Ignacio Mendy to then cut inside brilliantly and leave Van der Merwe in the dust as a scintillating Argentina attack was finished with a flourish. The conversion was hooked wide left by Albornoz.
Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu - starting as part of a formidable Lions centre partnership along with Bundee Aki - weaved through to dive over, but again the try was disallowed for a knock-on.
The Lions did finally register their first try of the summer shy of the 20-minute mark, Aki powering through three defenders to touch down after Farrell’s men continued their dominance at the scrum.
Fin Smith’s extras had the Lions ahead for the first time by two points at 10-8, though Albornoz responded in kind after an infringement at the ruck after flanker Pablo Matera avoided a yellow card for a high hit on Fin Smith.
Albornoz slotted over another penalty late in the first half after an offside call and then turned on the jets to streak home after the ball was knocked loose during a scruffy Lions attack, converting his own score to send the Pumas in at the break leading 21-10.
The Lions started the second half in more patient fashion and got their reward with a penalty try given by New Zealand referee James Doleman after Argentina prop Mayco Vivas had pulled down a rolling maul in front of the line, earning himself a yellow card in the process.
It was a double blow for the Pumas and they started to creak thereafter, Ellis Genge driving the Lions forward against 14 men with some enormously powerful carries.
They got the go-ahead score as Genge made another terrific line break after an injection of pace and ingenuity at scrum-half from Tomos Williams, one of only two Wales players in the entire Lions squad along with Jac Morgan, Ireland’s Tadhg Beirne sent through and Fin Smith making it a three-point lead from the tee.
Tommy Freeman and Mack Hansen were causing problems for the Lions, but suddenly they were behind again out of nowhere as Henry Pollock missed a tackle and man-of-the-match Albornoz broke forward, with Argentina recycling the ball brilliantly before a kick was collected and touched down by Santiago Cordero.
Albornoz’s conversion made it a four-point advantage and it was a lead that the Pumas would never relinquish despite soaking up plenty of late pressure, Hansen, Freeman and Pollock with the best of the play for the Lions, who attacked with the clock in the red but lost the ball with a strip as it was booted into touch to seal a famous Argentina win.
