A great game!
An engaging opener for the Lions, with the Aviva experiencing an atmosphere we rarely see at Ireland games.
Andy Farrell’s side were error-strewn with ball in hand, dropping passes and handing the ball to the opposition at times.
Los Pumas were clinical and magnificent in broken-field play, and deserved 28-24 winners.
Lions player ratings:
Ellis Genge – 8.5
Made mince meat of Argentina tighthead Joel Sclavi, who was replaced after 47 minutes.
A trademark, barnstorming run set up the Lions’ go-ahead try.
Luke Cowan-Dickie – 5
An error-strewn performance.
Dropped the ball over the line in the first half.
Finlay Bealham – 7.5
Was part of a hugely dominant scrum and tackled his ass off.
12 hits was the most of any Lions players.
Maro Itoje – 7
A dogged performance from the captain, and excellent in the lineout as usual.
Tadhg Beirne – 6
Was a far cry from some of the titanic showings we have seen from him this year.
Didn’t do much wrong for most of the game but gave away a crucial neck-roll penalty with just three minutes left while the Lions were camped on the opposition line.
Tom Curry – 6.5
Tireless as usual at ruck time and in the tackle.
Still the favourite to start at either six or seven, but not a position-cementing performance.
A few handling errors brings his score down.
Jac Morgan – 7
A similar performance to the guy above, and made a nice turnover in the first half.
Ben Earl – 7
Didn’t catch the eye as he often does, but finished the game with 56 metres made, the most of any Lions forward.
Alex Mitchell – 7.5
Was uber-quick at the base of the ruck, kicked well for the most part, and threw some great skip passes.
And if we didn’t know already, he is a real challenger to Jamison Gibson-Park.
A bad missed catch and a poor overcooked kick brings his score down half a mark.
Fin Smith – 7
Kicked his goals and tackled well, but failed to put his stamp on the game.
Lost ground on Finn Russell.
Duhan van der Merwe – 5.5
Made an awesome break in the first half, but from then on pretty much nothing went right for the Scot.
Looked very dodgy, weak in the air, and a prime target to attack.
Bundee Aki – 7
Would have liked more involvements and breaks, but took his try well and tackled well.
Sione Tuipulotu – 7
The Lions used him a lot, and Argentina marshalled him as best they could but he got change out of them in the second half.
Will be lethal when the team gets more cohesion.
Tommy Freeman – 7
Was everywhere on the pitch and had so many involvements, most of them good.
Loses a point for falling asleep for Argentina’s first try and a crucial dropped ball late on.
Marcus Smith – 7.5
Good in the backfield and good kicking, but it was as a second playmaker where he shone.
His dancing feet force teams to keep an extra keen eye on him, but he can shred you with a pass aswell.
Replacements:
Rónan Kelleher – 5.5
Pierre Schoeman – 6.5
Carried well.
Tadhg Furlong – 6
Scott Cummings – 6
Henry Pollock – 5
Looked dangerous but had a bad missed tackle which led to an Argies try, and was easily turned over at the death.
Tomos Williams – 6.5
Elliot Daly – 7
Made the most of his appearance off the bench.
Mack Hansen – 6.5
