Lessons of Dublin must be learned

ONE of the strangest elements about the 2025 Lions starting line-up in the non-tour match against Argentina in Dublin was that the players looked jet-lagged.

- NICK CAIN

Given that this was before they boarded the flights that would simultaneously transport them to The Land Down Under, and into the orbit of genuine circadian dysrhythmia after crossing seven time zones, it was disconcerting.

The key factors in the Lions 28-24 loss to a lively, sharp, understrength Argentine outfit was that most areas of their game went awry. Whether it was passing, kicking, catching, tackling, or reaction speed, in terms of their timing, accuracy, and intent they were slightly off.

It was the last shortcoming, in terms of physical clout and urgency, which Lions head coach Andy Farrell wasted no time in identifying as his biggest bugbear from a warm-up match his team were expected to win.

The upshot is that if those players who got to pull on the 2025 tour jersey first are to remain in the chase for Test places against the Wallabies, they are going to have to play out of their skins in their first outing on Australian soil.

The Lions identikit openside back-row of Tom Curry, Jac Morgan, and Ben Earl is a case in point, because they were virtually anonymous in the first half. They were comprehensively outplayed by the Pumas trio of Pablo Matera, Juan-Martin Gonzalez, and especially Joaquin Oviedo, who is unsung, but one of the best No.8s on the international stage.