Argentina scored two sensational tries on their way to winning The 1888 Cup in a scintillating back-and-forth battle with The British & Irish Lions in Dublin.
Fly-half Tomas Albornoz’s breakaway score on the brink of half-time and replacement winger Santiago Cordero’s blistering sprint to the corner midway through the second half helped seal a dramatic 28-24 win.
The edge-of-your seat contest fired the starting gun on a highly-anticipated 2025 Tour of Australia, and proved a stern test of the Lions’ credentials in their first match of the summer.
The hosts, backed by a raucous Sea of Red, were good value.
They scored three tries through Bundee Aki, a penalty score and Tadhg Beirne, were impressive at the scrum and dangerous each time they had ball-in-hand, constantly finding holes in the opposition defence.
But Argentina, helped by three Albornoz penalties and an early try from winger Ignacio Mendy, kept their noses in front for much of the match and held off a late Lions barrage to secure their first-ever win against the hosts in the eighth meeting.
PUMAS PUMPED UP
Regardless of the result, this was always going to be a special day for the Lions. The Sea of Red took over The Fair City, with Temple Bar, the Brazen Head and Guinness Storehouse decked out in scarlet and filled to the brim with jersey-wearing fans from all four corners of the British Isles.
This might have been the Aviva, but the stands were so crimson come kick-off it could easily have been mistaken for the Principality.
Then came the match, and that more than lived up to the occasion. Argentina – in their iconic blue and white striped jerseys - were fastest out of the blocks, playing with a confidence that underlines their rise to fifth in the world rankings.
A Duhan van der Merwe knock-on from a high ball in midfield gave the visitors a platform from which to spring the first attack, and after moving it wide quickly and around a splintered Lions defensive line, they look set to score before Mendy was dragged down five metres short.
A penalty came shortly after and Albornoz slotted it through from in front of the posts – leading Maro Itoje to gather his team in for an early huddle.
Whatever he said did the trick. Itoje chased the restart and won it, before Van der Merwe bulldozed his way through a couple of tackles to take the Lions into the 22. Jac Morgan almost scampered in down the left wing, as the Lions went wide, but the flanker ran out of room, leading to a five-metre lineout that nearly brought the first try. An excellent rolling maul was seemingly finished off by hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie, only for the TMO to spot a knock-on as he tried to ground the ball.
Still, it sparked the Lions into life and Van der Merwe was loving it in the early stages, as he and Tommy Freeman so nearly prised open a gap in the Argentina defence just outside the 22, while Fin Smith attempted a cross-field kick that just missed the Saints winger. Smith levelled the score with a penalty shortly after but, in an open and free-flowing first half, Argentina’s next attack brought the first try.
A lineout in midfield was the launchpad. After a neat routine, full-back Santiago Carreras came charging into midfield and took three players out of the game with a pop pass outside to Mendy, who sprinted for the line and turned inside Van der Merwe to slide over. The Lions’ cards were well and truly marked – but they proved as equally dangerous.
While Sione Tuipulotu was denied a try after an Argentina knock-on, the hosts broke through in the 20th-minute from the resulting scrum five metres out.
Some quick hands from Marcus Smith started an excellent move that featured Tuipulotu and Fin Smith and made its way to Aki. The Ireland centre had to check his run to catch a pass that was behind him, losing forwards momentum, but he quickly built up a head of steam and powered his way through two defenders from 10 metres out and ground the ball. Fin Smith’s conversion put the Lions ahead for the first time.
Albornoz’s second penalty nudged Argentina back ahead after Tom Curry was caught holding on too long at the breakdown, while a scrum penalty – won by Finlay Bealham – allowed Smith to kick to the 22 and set up a lineout. From the routine, Freeman broke free of a tackle but Tuipulotu was unable to find Aki on his shoulder and the move broke down.
Argentina then took control. A Carreras 50:22 led to a Pumas attack on the Lions’ line – with Marcus Smith forced into conceding a five-metre scrum for carrying a delicate Lucio Cinti grubber kick across his own line before being tackled – and they turned that into three points for Albornoz.
With half-time approaching, the Lions went in search of a lead-earning try but Van der Merwe lost it on the ground on the edge of the Argentina 22 and the visitors hit them on the break. A brilliant one-two between Albornoz and Rodrigo Isgro resulted in the former sprinting in unopposed for a 21-10 half-time lead.
LIONS RESPOND
They might have been stunned by that late Pumas try but half-time gave the Lions a chance to reset, and they came out all guns blazing after the break.
Tuipulotu made a brilliant 40-metre break down the right touchline, putting the visitors on the back foot, and Argentina conceded a penalty, which Itoje urged Fin Smith kicked to the corner.
The rolling maul was a major threat again and this time Argentina could not cope, as the referee awarded a penalty try when Cowan-Dickie was brought down on the line.
Mayco Vivas was also sin-binned and, with Ronan Kelleher, Henry Pollock and Tomos Williams brought on shortly after, the momentum was with the Lions – and they soon had the lead too.
Ellis Genge’s ferocious carry through midfield split the Argentina defence, and with quick ball, they went left where Marcus Smith cut back inside and almost scurried his way through.
Williams, the replacement scrum-half, was quick on the scene and darted a quick miss-pass to where Beirne gladly walked through a huge hole to put the Lions ahead.
Restored to 15 players, Argentina, however, hit back. And harder than at any other point in the game. Under pressure from Ben Earl, Albornoz feigned to kick but instead dropped his shoulder, cut inside and started a sensational attacking move.
After they worked it left, Matias Moroni kicked ahead and Cordero outsprinted Marcus Smith to dot down in the corner. A brilliant Albornoz conversion put the visitors 28-24 ahead.
The Lions continued to utilise their bench, with Pierre Schoeman, Tadhg Furlong, Elliot Daly and Mack Hansen introduced to try and turn the tide.
But, though they huffed and puffed, they were unable to make their pressure tell, and Argentina celebrated wildly when Isgro secured a late turnover to clinch victory.
