Hope among the errors.
Despite yesterday’s 28-24 loss to Argentina, there were a handful of Lions stars who seriously strengthened their credentials for a test start.
But while it was only the first game of the tour, there are few opportunities to prove ones worth, and some may have scuppered their chances.
Here are our winners and losers from a promising night in Dublin!
Winners
Ellis Genge
Dismantled the Argentina scrum, providing his side with their main source of territory.
The trademark carries of the ‘Baby Rhino’ were lacking in the first half, but he turned a switch in the second, with one 20 metre run in particular leading to the Lions’ go-ahead try from Tadhg Beirne.
Loosehead is now a serious area of strength for Andy Farrell’s side.
Finlay Bealham
Those crying that the Connacht tighthead should have been in the original squad over Tadhg Furlong have had their ammo restocked after that performance.
Both Bealham and Farrell spoke about the emotion on show during the phone call informing him of his call up, and this was on show at the Aviva through sheer work rate, as he topped his side’s tackle stats with 11.
While Genge was the more dominant at the scrum, the Irishman kept his side solid and won a penalty of his own.
Genge’s Instagram shows that the pair are becoming quite chummy, and they could well be the starting test props over the favourites, Andrew Porter and Will Stuart.
Marcus Smith
If you were to go on social media, you would think the Harlequins maverick had a shocker, but this can be put down to the preference of some Irish fans for being incorrect rather than praise a hyped up and flashy Englishman.
He was the Lions’ most dangerous player in attack, keeping the defence on their toes with his hot stepping, and creating space on the outside when preforming his duties as a second distributor.
He couldn’t do much for the Argentinian tries, with big line breaks the fault of others.
Elliot Daly
The common consensus was that the veteran utility back was the most surprising choice in the squad, and there was a sense that he made it more for his experience and his covering ability, rather than as a serious test contender.
But he rubbished these views off the bench, making breaks and adding a sense of security that wasn’t as present among the starting back three.
Losers
Duhan van der Merwe
The big Scot showed flashes of why he is so revered, mixed with the flaws which are championed by his detractors.
A classy break in the first half ended with a pass he chose not to make, which may have sent Alex Mitchell in for a try.
The rest of the game didn’t go well for the most part, with defensive frailties on show and a complete lack of impact in the air.
Luke Cowan-Dickie
A separator between the English hookers and the Irish has been their consistent lineout throwing, but the Sale man was average in this area yesterday.
While he showed some nice touches and won a turnover, he made a multitude of errors and will leave many wondering why Jamie George was left at home.
Fin Smith
He kicked his goals and tackled well, and as such, cannot be marked down for an overall poor performance.
However, he did not put his stamp on the game in an attacking sense, with no big-time plays, while there were a couple of missed opportunities and overcooked cross-field kicks.
Finn Russell’s odds to start the first test have shortened further.
Henry Pollock
Was his usual hyped self entering the fray and looked to get on the ball and add a carrying element which was lacking in the pack for most of the game.
He made one eye-catching half break, but this was overshadowed by a woeful missed tackle which led to the game-winning try, and the turnover from Argentina’s winger, Rodrigo Isgro, which ended the game.
