Five talking points from the Lions' loss to Argentina
Prior to losing 28-24 to Argentina in Dublin on Friday night, no British and Irish Lions had lost their opening tour game since 1971.Few, though, will have faced opposition as strong and as on song as the Pumas. Despite quickly giving all credit to the victors in the immediate aftermath, head coach Andy Farrell's attention will quickly turn to what needs to improve before his side's first game on Australian soil against Western Force on 28 June.
Scratch side still building connections
There was no competition for word of the day at the Lions media briefing on Wednesday - "cohesion" was clearly the focus. Given how clunky these affairs have been in the recent past, and that this represented a first hit for what is a brand new side, it was fair to assume clicking quickly would be a challenge. Two-time Lion Tadhg Beirne, for one, seemed a bit perplexed by such a notion however, reminding that we were talking about "world class" players. Across their first 80 minutes together, the Lions attack felt like it should be judged in two different facets - ambition and execution. In terms of the former, their shape was strong and they created plenty of opportunities through sharp passages.When it came to the latter, however, they were lacking. Offloads that went to ground or straight into Argentine hands were one serious issue, as were passes just a beat off the runner. While there was the bones of an encouraging display with ball in hand, Farrell will clearly demand his side are sharper once they hit Australian shores. "The whole story of the game is that we compounded too many errors and in the end weren't able to put the pace on the game that we wanted to because of that," said the irked head coach afterwards.
Scrum dominant but line-out falters
There is a natural inclination to look at attacking combinations when the Lions first come together, but Friday's defeat again offered the reminder of the difficulties of quickly gelling a collection of great individuals into a Test-ready unit at the set-piece. While there were errors aplenty with the ball, perhaps the most concerning element of the performance was the line-out. The Lions had 18 throws from touch and were turned over four times, a statistic that was all the more disappointing given that the maul did make headway when they got it right."I think we were just finding our rhythm, unfortunately we couldn't get it quite as smooth as we wanted but we'll definitely get better," said skipper Maro Itoje."We'll review, we'll learn the lessons and we'll get better."I think as we improve our relationships, as we spend more and more time together training and understanding each other's triggers, that will come."The scrum was a different story. In what Farrell called an "aggressive" performance at the set-piece, the front row were able to eke out a string of penalties.Starting props Ellis Genge and Finlay Bealham, the latter only added to the squad after Zander Fagerson's injury, certainly made early cases for big roles on this tour.
Loss of aerial battle will catch Schmidt's eye
When Joe Schmidt was coach of Ireland between 2013 and 2019, a huge part of his success was built upon an ability to zero in and ruthlessly exploit an opponent's weaknesses.Watching events in Dublin, the Australia head coach will surely have taken note of the Lions' struggles defensively and under the high ball in their back-three. There were times when those on the outside were left in unenviable positions out wide, but too many tackles did not stick and Argentina definitely got the better of things when putting boot to ball. Some of the more athletic backs at Schmidt's disposal would surely fancy their chances in an aerial battle should the Lions not improve in that area before the Test series. When things did get scrappy after spilled kicks, Farrell seemed especially frustrated by his side's inability to win loose balls. "What is disappointing is scraps on the floor from that type of battle always seem to go to Argentina," he said. "There's a bit of fight and hunger from them that we can't accept."
Fresh faces can provide boost in Australia
When it came to how those involved had helped or hampered their Test prospects, Farrell said: "Some people will be happy and obviously others won't and will be dying to get another chance out there." When that chance comes for those who failed to impress is anyone's guess.It was hardly ideal that the schedule for this tour left the Lions without the vast majority of those involved in the United Rugby Championship and Premiership finals, as well as Toulouse's Blair Kinghorn.Now though, on the back of a defeat, Farrell has ample opportunity to freshen things up against Western Force with a host of players ready to see their first action of the trip. The likes of James Lowe and Hugo Keenan would be expected to improve things under the high ball in particular, while both Garry Ringrose and Huw Jones would appear to be more natural fits in the outside centre role. After Fin Smith's strong showing in the 10 jersey, it will be fascinating to see how Bath's Finn Russell goes in his first outing of the tour too.
'Sea of Red' on show in Dublin
While this was not a Lions Test in name, it certainly felt like one in terms of the occasion. "Spectacular," was Maro Itoje's summary. A huge percentage of the 51,700 crowd seemed to be at the Aviva Stadium early and it was striking to see so many red jerseys milling around the streets in the hours before kick-off. When you think back to the South Africa trip four years ago, played in virtually empty stadiums due to Covid-19 restrictions, Friday offered a reminder of how big a part the travelling supporters will play when this tour lands in Australia. "I don't think the fans fully understand how much it means to us," said centre Bundee Aki, who was on that South Africa tour four years ago."I got goosebumps when I saw the sea of red. [It was] unbelievable compared to what we had the last time. "
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