British and Irish Lions vs Argentina: Three things we learned

The British and Irish Lions lost their opening match of the year on Friday, going down 28-24 to Argentina in Dublin.

There was, as expected, a few teething issues which Andy Farrell will look to address this week before their first match in Australia against the Western Force in Perth next Saturday.

Here are three things we learned from the opening match.

1. Tommy Freeman, Jac Morgan impress

It was a match where players had the chance to make a good first impression on Andy Farrell, and Tommy Freeman and Jac Morgan did just that.

From the off, Freeman looked dangerous with ball in hand. After a great Six Nations with England and a good campaign with Northampton, Freeman showed his talents at the first time of asking for the Lions.

Unlike others, he didn’t try and force everything and remained composed throughout the match. Defenders know he can go past them with a step or use his range of passing to put his teammates through.

Morgan is one of just two Welsh players in the squad along with Tomos Williams and carried the flag admirably for his country. He was strong over the ball and carried well, proving a handful for Argentina defenders. You know he will get through a mountain of work every game and is a great leader.

The back row is a supremely competitive area in the squad, but Morgan made a strong first impression.

2. Communication is key

The Lions’ main frustration will come from the fact that when they did get going, they looked really good. They just couldn’t sustain it.

Freeman, Duhan van der Merwe and Sione Tuipulotu in particular looked threatening with most of their touches. The group as a whole just didn’t do it as much as they need to or put Argentina under enough pressure.

An ambitious offload, a loose carry or a pass too many instead of building pressure through phases undid all the good work. You have to earn the right to attack.

The good news is all these things are in their control. It will just take some time and good communication.

Farrell will have liked the free-flowing rugby he saw in flashes, but he will remind his side they are a new group and the cohesion can’t be rushed too much.

3. The lineout needs fixing – fast!

Lineouts, particularly with a new group, can be tricky beasts to master. It needs practice.

Both hookers Luke Cowan-Dickie and Ronan Kelleher struggled, with multiple throws lost.

Both those men are experienced campaigners, so you’d back them to get it right, but it’s a key area they need to brush up on before they face the Wallabies.

Joe Schmidt’s knowledge of the Lions players, particularly the Irish contingent, will be deep and no doubt he will already be looking for areas he can poke holes in and expose.

The lineout simple cannot become a nagging issue for this side, as it is such a key area in modern rugby. They need to show they’ve cleaned it up ASAP, which comes against the Western Force next week.

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