Finlay Bealham and Ellis Genge are mighty good together in the scrum
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.
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 Fin Smith when the Lions outhalf was defending on the wing initially. Andy Farrell then switched MarcusSmith 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.
