The time has finally come. After a four-year wait, fans will once again see the British & Irish Lions in action as they take on Argentina in a warm-up match in Dublin ahead of their tour to Australia. We take a look at this highly anticipated clash from a betting perspective and offer a few suggested plays.
BRITISH & IRISH LIONS
Despite having only a few weeks to prepare and coming together just once every four years, the Lions consistently form one of the most formidable outfits in international rugby. Comprising the best talent from Ireland, Scotland, England, and Wales, this squad is world-class on paper.
Their last outing came in the 2021 tour to South Africa, which ended in a narrow 2–1 series loss. They’ll be eager to start their 2025 campaign on the right note.
Starting Lineup
15 Marcus Smith, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Sione Tuipulotu, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Alex Mitchell, 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Luke Cowan Dickie, 3 Finlay Bealham, 4 Maro Itoje (c), 5 Tadhg Beirne, 6 Tom Curry, 7 Jac Morgan, 8 Ben Earl.
Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Pierre Schoeman, 18 Tadhg Furlong, 19 Scott Cummings, 20 Henry Pollock, 21 Tomos Williams, 22 Elliot Daly, 23 Mack Hansen.
ARGENTINA
Argentina play their first test of 2025, having ended the 2024 season with a European tour. They managed a win against Italy before suffering defeats to both Ireland and France. This clash provides a stern test against a Lions outfit brimming with individual talent.
Starting Lineup
- Santiago Carreras (vc), 14. Rodrigo Isgro, 13. Lucio Cinti, 12. Justo Piccardo,11. Ignacio Mendy, 10. Tomas Albornoz, 9. Gonzalo Garcia, 1. Mayco Vivas, 2. Julian Montoya (c),3. Joel Sclavi, 4. Franco Molina, 5. Pedro Rubiolo, 6. Pablo Matera (vc), 7. Juan Martin Gonzalez, 8. Joaquin Oviedo
Replacements
- Bautista Bernasconi, 17. Boris Wenger, 18. Francisco Coria Marchetti,19. Santiago Grondona,20. Joaquin Moro, 21. Simon Benitez Cruz, 22. Matias Moroni, 23. Santiago Cordero
Argentina lost both of their matches against Ireland and France—two sides that offer a fair benchmark for what to expect from the Lions in terms of current quality. Playing away from home in Dublin presents an added challenge for the Pumas. While the Lions should have enough class to come away with the win, it may not be by a large margin. This will be their first outing as a team, while Argentina bring the benefit of continuity and experience from playing together over several seasons.
Suggested Bet: Handicap, Argentina [+17.5] at 1.85.
Looking back at the Lions’ results over their last two tours, there’s a clear trend when it comes to total points. Against club or invitational sides, the Lions often post big scores. However, when facing international opposition—even sides like Japan—the matches tend to be far tighter and lower scoring. In their 2021 series against South Africa, the highest total points across the three tests was just 39, while the peak in their 2017 series against New Zealand was 45. With both the Lions and Argentina playing their first match of the year, I expect a similarly low-scoring encounter.
Suggested Bet: Total points under 53.5 at 2.10
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Note: All prices correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
