Lions in Dublin 'extra special' for Irish
Lock Tadhg Beirne says taking on Argentina at the Aviva Stadium, while wearing the colours of the British and Irish Lions, will be another "special day" for the squad's Ireland contingent.The 33-year-old is one of six Irish players who will be on show when the 2025 Lions squad takes the field for the first time against the Pumas on Friday (20:00 BST).Beirne, Bundee Aki and Finlay Bealham all start, while Tadhg Furlong, Ronan Kelleher and Mack Hansen have been named among Andy Farrell's replacements for what is the only game before the squad depart for their three-Test tour of Australia."For us Irish players it's extra special and means a lot to us," said Munster's Beirne."[Playing] where we've had a lot of special days, and then to add playing a game for the Lions to that long list of good days here, is pretty special."
With 14 first-timers among the Lions side, for Beirne and his usual Ireland team-mates the week has felt both familiar and very different. "The lead-up to the game is going to feel very similar, doing all the same things that we would do in Irish camp, either going to the same coffee places or preparing for the game the same way."A lot of it is similar but different at the same time, because you're not used to being around the same players that you would be used to, and it makes it a lot more enjoyable."Beirne was part of the Ireland side that just edged Argentina 22-19 at the same venue in November."They really put it to us, and we probably just got over the line in the end," he added."It'll be no different come Friday, it'll be their World Cup final and that's the way we're going to treat it. It's a huge opportunity for us to set the tone for the tour."
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