British & Irish Lions vs Argentina Prediction, Best Bets & Rugby Odds

The British & Irish Lions face Argentina in Dublin on Friday as they step up their preparations for next month's Test series against Australia (8pm, Sky Sports Main Event).
Andy Farrell's side travel to Australia after Friday's match to play a series of warm-up games before three matches against Australia, starting in mid-July.
Farrell opted to name 16 players from the national side he usually coaches, Ireland, in his 38-man squad and13 from England, including skipper Maro Itoje, who became the first English captain of the side for more than 20 years when he was named last month.
Seven players were named from Scotland, including Finn Russell, who helped Bath to their first Premiership final in 29 years with two conversions and three penalties in their 23-21 win over Leicester Tigers on Saturday.
There are just two Wales players named in the squad, with Tomos Williams and Jac Morgan both in line to make their Lions debuts, and after a disappointing year so far with Wales, they will be looking forward to getting back in international action.
Rugby betting sites make the Lions odds-on to go down under and win the series, just as they did in 2013, while you can get 5/2 on the Aussies and 33/1 on a series draw.
Brirish & Irish Lions vs Argentina Betting Preview: Lions to Roar in Dublin
While the focus will be on peaking for the Test series against Australia, Friday's game in Dublin will be a special occasion for many as they get their first taste of Lions rugby.
Betting sites are backing the Lions for the win at the Aviva Stadium at 1/7 while they are favoured by around 17 points on the handicap. A shock Argentina win has shortened to 7/1 and it's 50/1 on a pretty rare draw.
The last time the two sides met it did finish all square at 25-25, but that was back in 2005 at Cardiff's Millenium Stadium, when Sir Clive Woodward was in charge of the side.
Argentina lost two out of three of last year's internationals in Europe, beaten by France and Ireland but they did secure a 50-18 win over Italy in November.
They were the last three internationals the side played so it will be interesting to see what type of form they are in but let's not forget they did beat both South Africa and Australia last year, although both matches were on home turf.
The Lions are without the majority of Leinster, Bath and Leicester Tigers players, who only joined up with the squad on Monday after the United Rugby Championship and Premiership finals, with Leinster hooker Ronan Kelleher the only player involved as he is named on the bench.
The Pumas are also without several of their France-based players with Toulouse's Juan Cruz Mallia and Bordeaux-Begles second row Guido Petti involved in the Top 14 play-offs.
The last time the Lions played on British or Irish soil they saw off Japan 28-10 at Murrayfield in 2021 and a similar margin of victory is expected here.
British & Irish Lions vs Argentina Line Ups
British and Irish Lions: Smith; Freeman, Tuipulotu, Aki, Van der Merwe; Smith, Mitchell; Genge, Cowan-Dickie, Bealham, Itoje, Beirne, Curry, Morgan, Earl.
Replacements: Kelleher, Schoeman, Furlong, Cummings, Pollock, Williams, Daly, Hansen.
Argentina: Carreras; Isgro, Cinti, Piccardo, Mendy; Albornoz, Garcia; Vivas, Montoya (c), Sclavi, Molina, Rubiolo, Matera, Gonzalez, Oviedo
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13 minutes ago

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British & Irish Lions 24-28 Argentina: Lions fall short at the Aviva Stadium in Andy Farrell's first game in charge before jetting off to Australia tour

As Argentina's jubilant players celebrated wildly on the Aviva Stadium pitch, many of them close to tears, the Lions gathered in a sombre huddle and Elliot Daly dished out some forceful post-match words. Seconds earlier, at the final whistle, the men in red had stood in shock, hands on heads and hips, trying to take in what had happened. This wasn't in the script. It was supposed to be a launch party for the 2025 tour. It was supposed to be a useful first tune-up for the Lions against weakened Pumas and a chance to make a statement ahead of their arrival in Australia. So much for best-laid plans. Instead, Andy Farrell's British and Irish squad will fly Down Under today in inquest mode and licking their wounds after Argentina became just the fifth country to beat the Lions. The South Americans joined Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Fiji in claiming one of the most prized scalps in rugby. It was a seismic result which deprives the tourists of valuable momentum ahead of their arrival in Perth tomorrow. There were silver linings. The Lions didn't suffer injuries, which is a huge relief for head coach Andy Farrell. They also appeared to avoid any disciplinary issues, which was another potential pre-tour pitfall. And at times they played with positive energy and intent in attack, creating chances from all parts of the field. But it was a performance which might have been expected from a newly-formed team full of untried combinations, trying to knit together in a hurry. There were bright bits and messy bits. The attack was full of ambition but lacked cohesion and precision. The scrum was savagely dominant, which is a big tick in the box for starting props Ellis Genge and Finlay Bealham. The lineout was untidy, but the real problem was when the Pumas were in possession. Defensively, the Lions were often ragged. They were carved open time and again by their opponents and appeared to have a major fault line in midfield, where Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu was operating out of position at outside centre. On this initial evidence, it would be best to consider him and Bundee Aki as either-or options at 12, rather than as a muscular double-act. Lions head coach Andy Farrell had put pressure on the players involved in this game to make strong early statements in the battle for Test places. Some did, notably Tommy Freeman, Genge and Tom Curry. But it will take time for all the moving parts to work well in unison, and time is something the tourists don't have in abundance. The series opener against the Wallabies takes place in four weeks. There are plenty of rough edges to smooth over. There was a carnival atmosphere in Dublin, where rugby was competing for box-office attention with a series of giant concerts by American musician Zach Bryan over the weekend. The Irish capital was full of red shirts and the pre-match buzz was palpable. While an estimated 40,000 British and Irish supporters are travelling to Australia for the tour itself, this was a chance for those who can't go all that way, at all that considerable expense, to enjoy a glimpse of the four-nation side. Make no mistake, these fixtures are about raising money. They allow the Lions to generate an extra heap of income to fund the long-haul mission and add to a jackpot return for the home unions. A cherished sporting institution has become an almighty financial juggernaut. But the mood among those present illustrated the enduring enthusiasm for this famous touring team, no matter how much of a commercial machine it has become. Especially after the 2021 crusade to South Africa was ruined by Covid, all the devotees have waited eight years for their first in-person fix since 2017. The sense of anticipation was infectious. Back in 2005, the Lions drew 25-25 with Argentina in Cardiff and captain of the Pumas that night was Felipe Contepomi; the head coach of the South American side this time. The former Leinster fly-half had his sights on a famous shock, on his return to the city where he spent stints as a player and then as a coach, for the Irish province. His players duly obliged. The silver lining being the Lions didn't suffer injuries, a huge relief for head coach Andy Farrell Tomas Albornoz's early penalty was cancelled out by Fin Smith, but in the 13th minute Argentina claimed their first try. Albornoz's long pass released Santiago Carreras and he in turn sent Ignacio Mendy away to strike on the left. The Lions were creating plenty but succumbing to frustrating errors. First Luke Cowan-Dickie then Tuipulotu had tries disallowed. Eventually, finally, Aki blasted through three defenders to score the 2025 Lions' first try and Fin Smith converted to give the hosts a 10-8 lead. But the defensive lapses continued. Albornoz was presented with two more penalty chances and he landed both shots to edge his side in front again, before the fly-half rounded off a slick, long-range raid down the right and converted his own try just before the break. The Lions re-emerged like men on a mission and soon regained the initiative. First came a penalty try after a lineout drive, then Genge's barn-storming break paved the way for the next try, finished off by Tadhg Beirne. But Argentina ignored the script and came again, to produce another remarkable try from distance, as Santiago Cordero touched down and Albornoz converted. The home side hurled everything at them, but more untimely errors undermined their comeback attempts. Down Under, Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt – a master strategist – will pick through the footage of this close contest and seize upon evidence to convince his team that these Lions are beatable. Farrell will turn his thoughts to deploying a different line-up and belatedly igniting the campaign with a big win over Western Force. As for Argentina, they will go home and prepare an ambush for England, in La Plata and San Juan, buoyed by this historic feat.

South Wales Argus

22 minutes ago

• South Wales Argus

Andy Farrell says Lions ‘won't sugar-coat' defeat to Argentina

The Lions lost their opening tour match for the first time since 1971 after their second-half fightback was overturned when Santiago Cordero finished the match-winning try in the 59th minute. On Saturday they head Down Under before facing the Western Force a week later and Farrell is seeking an immediate response to the error-strewn display seen at a sold-out Aviva Stadium. Not the result we wanted, but a historic night in Dublin. Thank you to the incredible fans who came to see us tonight, and to all of you who tuned in to support us from around the world 🙏🦁#Lions2025 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) June 20, 2025 'We made it a tough game. Congratulations to Argentina, they thoroughly deserved to win the match. I'm sure that's a big moment in Argentinean rugby history,' Farrell said. 'We had plenty of opportunities and we should have done better to convert them, but the whole story of the game is that we compounded too many errors. 'I wouldn't give familiarity as an excuse. We need to be better than that. The Lions are good players coming together. 'We won't sugar-coat this. We need to be honest because if we're not honest, how do we gain trust with each other? 'Losing hurts, especially in this jersey. We need to find the solutions pretty quickly and be honest with ourselves because some good has to come from this. 'Of course we asked a lot of the players and maybe we put too much pressure on the side because it looked like we were a little disconnected at times. 'We'll review what we said we were going to do as a team. We need to make sure we get something positive from this because it's all about how we move forward. 'Some players will be happy and some players won't and will be dying to get another chance out there. We've got to learn a lot of lessons from that. 'We want to see a better all round performance. There wasn't just one thing, it was the compounding of quite a few bits. 'The amount of balls that we threw blindly either on to the floor or to the opposition was a standout. 'The scraps on the floor always seemed to go to Argentina, so there was a bit more fight and hunger from them that we can't accept.' Maro Itoje's first game as captain ended in defeat (Brian Lawless/PA) Maro Itoje criticised the Lions' accuracy as his first outing as captain ended in the tourists' first defeat to Argentina in eight matches.. 'It was a spectacular occasion. The fans gave us a glimpse of what to expect in Australia,' Itoje said. 'We gave ourselves numerous opportunities but we weren't accurate enough at times and weren't consistent enough in piling pressure on to Argentina.'

Glasgow Times

22 minutes ago

• Glasgow Times

Andy Farrell says Lions ‘won't sugar-coat' defeat to Argentina

The Lions lost their opening tour match for the first time since 1971 after their second-half fightback was overturned when Santiago Cordero finished the match-winning try in the 59th minute. On Saturday they head Down Under before facing the Western Force a week later and Farrell is seeking an immediate response to the error-strewn display seen at a sold-out Aviva Stadium. Not the result we wanted, but a historic night in Dublin. Thank you to the incredible fans who came to see us tonight, and to all of you who tuned in to support us from around the world 🙏🦁#Lions2025 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) June 20, 2025 'We made it a tough game. Congratulations to Argentina, they thoroughly deserved to win the match. I'm sure that's a big moment in Argentinean rugby history,' Farrell said. 'We had plenty of opportunities and we should have done better to convert them, but the whole story of the game is that we compounded too many errors. 'I wouldn't give familiarity as an excuse. We need to be better than that. The Lions are good players coming together. 'We won't sugar-coat this. We need to be honest because if we're not honest, how do we gain trust with each other? 'Losing hurts, especially in this jersey. We need to find the solutions pretty quickly and be honest with ourselves because some good has to come from this. 'Of course we asked a lot of the players and maybe we put too much pressure on the side because it looked like we were a little disconnected at times. 'We'll review what we said we were going to do as a team. We need to make sure we get something positive from this because it's all about how we move forward. 'Some players will be happy and some players won't and will be dying to get another chance out there. We've got to learn a lot of lessons from that. 'We want to see a better all round performance. There wasn't just one thing, it was the compounding of quite a few bits. 'The amount of balls that we threw blindly either on to the floor or to the opposition was a standout. 'The scraps on the floor always seemed to go to Argentina, so there was a bit more fight and hunger from them that we can't accept.' Maro Itoje's first game as captain ended in defeat (Brian Lawless/PA) Maro Itoje criticised the Lions' accuracy as his first outing as captain ended in the tourists' first defeat to Argentina in eight matches.. 'It was a spectacular occasion. The fans gave us a glimpse of what to expect in Australia,' Itoje said. 'We gave ourselves numerous opportunities but we weren't accurate enough at times and weren't consistent enough in piling pressure on to Argentina.'