Five things we learned from the Lions' loss to Argentina
Finlay Bealham
may have been a late call-up to the
Lions
team following Zander Fagerson's unfortunate injury but the Connacht and Ireland tighthead prop - in tandem with Ellis Genge, the Lions' best player on the night, and the rest of the pack - gave the
Argentina
scrum a torrid time for most of the game before a raft of changes rendered that aspect of the game messier, especially as referee James Doleman became less inclined to intervene, preferring to let the game flow.
The scrum provided a perfect launch pad for the Bundee Aki try. What will rankle a little is that the Lions didn't maximise their dominance in terms of putting points on the scoreboard, letting Argentina off the hook after going to the corner several times. On balance though, and when considering that the Lions will bring in additional size and ballast, it was a standout success on the night.
The lineout needs to be addressed
A penalty try was awarded after Argentina illegally stopped a lineout maul but, generally, there were too many turnovers on the Lions' throw. What will irk Lions forward coach John Dalziel most is that a couple of them seemed to be the result of system malfunctions rather than throwing errors. No one expects perfection but the pride will be wounded.
Credit must go to Argentina for the manner in which they got jumpers in the air to challenge and also the way they defended the maul, particularly one near their own line late on when the Lions called in the auxiliaries from the backline. The Lions' capacity to add size in the secondrow and backrow could have a positive knock-on effect for the lineout.
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Argentina's Juan Martín González and Ignacio Mendy compete in the air with Fin Smith during the Lions' defeat in Dublin on Friday. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho
Argentina exposed Lions' weakness in the air
Australia
head coach Joe Schmidt will have taken note of Argentina's clever aerial work in isolating Fin Smith and Marcus Smith in one-on-one duels. Argentinian outhalf and man of the match Tomás Albornoz managed to pick out Smith when the Lions outhalf was defending on the wing initially. Andy Farrell then switched Smith from fullback to the wing, but he fared no better in that capacity.
When the Lions get to the Test series in Australia, they are likely to have a different shape, with Ireland's James Lowe and Hugo Keenan especially strong contenders in the air. Mack Hansen added energy and impetus when he arrived off the bench. It was a little surprising that Tommy Freeman, who made some fine catches, didn't slip into the backfield to add a more robust aerial presence.
Lions will fail if they don't learn to pass better
There was plenty to admire in the Lions' attacking shape and the tempo of their play in the opening 20-minutes, which would have yielded a couple of tries but for a couple of knocks-ons. Despite that early promise, an over-reliance on throwing offloads would prove very debilitating, with several attacks undermined by poor decisions or passes. The ball hit the ground far too often. Making those passes stick is something that will come with familiarity. Or at least it should.
Statistically, the Lions racked up the better numbers across various categories. They had 15 22-metres entries to the Pumas six, made 401 post-contact metres to their opponents 107, conceded five penalties to their opponents 12, had superior ruck speed, 29 per cent to their opponents 19 per cent in the premium 0-3 second category, had 53 per cent possession and 61 per cent territory and had superior gain-line success.
Lions were too cumbersome on turnovers
The video review will be a disappointing watch for the Lions, because it will show how they conceded tries from turnovers. Argentina were outstanding in exploiting those mistakes, especially in the manner in which they kept the ball alive, the timing of the passes and the sharp interplay and support to punish the Lions from long range. But it was just a tad easy at times as the Lions didn't scramble effectively to contain the initial breach. The Pumas were much more adept in that capacity, particularly when asked to hang on to their lead in a nervy end game. They shut down the Lions through the middle, encouraged them to go wide and then forced them back inside into cluttered culs-de-sac. Argentina's resilience proved decisive. Time will iron out many of the issues, but it won't assuage the short-term disappointment and the feeling that the Lions let slip a chance to win.
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6 hours ago
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The 42
16 hours ago
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Andy Farrell's Squid Game and Jamie 'Showbiz' Osborne
AS THE LIONS returned to the training pitch today for the first time since their series-clinching second Test win in Melbourne, they were greeted by interesting sights and sounds. Andy Farrell sent assistant coach John Fogarty and a few other Lions staff ahead to set things up at the impressive Shore School, which overlooks the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Keen to create energy from the moment they set foot back on the pitch ahead of their shot at making it a 3-0 series whitewash against the Wallabies, Farrell had organised his own version of Squid Game. For anyone who hasn't seen the South Korean show on Netflix, it's a dystopian thriller in which hundreds of players who are desperate for money play a series of kids' games that have literally been turned into life-or-death scenarios. The last person standing wins. 'The whole field was covered in equipment,' explained Lions assistant coach Andrew Goodman today. 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There are little bits like that that make it enjoyable as well.' Advertisement Lions assistant coach Andrew Goodman. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO Farrell is also a demanding and serious rugby coach. He has occasionally stung his Ireland players into responding to underperformances with savage reviews that question their work rate and application. And Lions captain Maro Itoje has been surprised at just how detailed Farrell's coaching is. 'Not that I thought he wasn't going to be, but he is very particular on detail and thoughtful on how the week flows which is very good from a player's point of view,' said Itoje. 'I've enjoyed the experience.' And then there is Farrell's well-known ability to deliver the right words at the right time. Ireland's players know exactly how good Farrell can be at choosing the ideal message to inspire them, something the rest of the Lions have enjoyed in recent weeks. 'He's a brilliant orator, he holds the room and is a great motivator of men,' said Itoje. 'He's quite thoughtful.' Goodman says that the key to Farrell is his relentlessness. He's not on a couple of days a week, but every single day. It has been clear throughout this tour just how much the players have been enjoying themselves. Even though they haven't been able to do a huge amount outside of rugby, Farrell has built an atmosphere in which the players have become close. In one of his early meetings, he prompted a few players to tell the group why they admired a team-mate from another country, someone they didn't fully know yet. It put people under pressure in that moment, but set a tone for how he wanted people to connect. 'I have built relationships with people I really didn't know well,' said Itoje. 'Someone like 'Showbiz', Jamie Osborne… his nickname is 'Showbiz.' I never thought I would have a relationship with him. 'I wouldn't mind the nickname Showbiz if you're going to start it, but I'm happy with Pearl, to be honest. I know now whenever I play against him in the future, I can call him Showbiz and he will have that little smirk on his face.' Andy Farrell with his family in Melbourne. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO Itoje mentioned Jac Morgan, as well as the 'absolutely hilarious' and 'very endearing person' Finlay Bealham as other examples. Farrell has had lots of players on the ground in Australia, as many as 45 at one stage, but seems to have kept everyone happy and working for the betterment of the team. He has also had a big coaching staff, with six assistants working alongside him. Farrell himself is renowned as an excellent attack coach, Goodman's speciality is in that area, Richard Wigglesworth works on England's attack, and Johnny Sexton is an attack master too. But they have all worked seamlessly together, according to Goodman. 'We all muck in,' said Goodman. 'We ask questions of each other and have areas we're in charge of. 'Wiggy's doing a lot of the kicking game and counter side of things, myself on the set-piece attack into phase. 'Jonny has an eye that asks a lot of questions and is spending a lot of time with the nines and 10s. 'And Faz is over everything: effort, work, detail, driving us as coaches. He's got a great eye for attack and defence, he'll always be driving the messages.' And like the players, Goodman says this tour has been hugely beneficial for the assistant coaches. He and others know Farrell very well from the Ireland set-up, but the value of being on such a big tour in Australia is huge. 'I've really enjoyed working with different people like Wiggy and John [Dalziel, the forwards coach]. It's been great to get different views on how things work, be open to different ways and different languages, and little activities to use, etc. 'When we first got in as a group, Faz drove that really hard. He said we have to information-share, we have to be open books. That's how we get the best out of each other.' One other strength of Farrell's is that he is always all about winning. So while they might have enjoyed their Squid Game, this final Test is serious business for the Lions.
