Argentina team to play Lions: 2025 tour opener

One of the main talking points from the selection is departing Leicester Tigers hooker, Julian Montoya will be starting despite losing the Gallagher Premiership six days earlier. 

It’s been two decades since the Lions last faced off with Los Pumas, and in their last meeting it finished 25-25 in Cardiff. The two teams will contest for the 1888 Cup and it will be the first time in Lions history that a fixture has been held on Irish soil.

"We haven't been together for seven months and now getting together with lots of new faces it has been a challenge, but the guys have been magnificent," said head coach Felipe Contepomi.

"They are training with a lot of intensity, we are very pleased with how they adapted."

The former Leinster playmaker said that the difficulty in predicting the Lions' line-up and approach to the game had simplified his approach.

"For us it is very good, because we needed to focus on us and what we want to do and how we want to do it," he added.

"And then we expect the best of the best from the British Isles, we know all their players and we expect them to be playing hard.

"They miss some cohesion or maybe not because they are such top players they can click in one moment."

15. Santiago Carreras
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
7. Juan Martin Gonzalez
8. Joaquin Oviedo

Replacements
16. 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