Maro Itoje to skipper England heavy British and Irish Lions side in tour opener against Argentina

British and Irish Lions head coach Andy Farrell has named his first ever matchday squad for their showdown against Argentina at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Friday.

The famous touring side will be playing on Irish soil for the first time and will go head-to-head with Los Pumas ahead of their eagerly anticipated tour to Australia which kicks off with a clash against the Western Force in Perth on Saturday, June 28.

Nine England players in starting XV

Saracens and England lock Maro Itoje will captain the side for the very first time as he prepares for his third Lions tour and the team for the clash with Los Pumas will have a familiar look for the 30-year-old as their are nine Red Rose players included in the starting line-up and two more among the replacements.

In total 14 players could make their Lions debut against Argentina.

Meanwhile, two-times tourists Bundee Aki, Tadhg Beirne, Tom Curry, Marcus Smith and Duhan van der Merwe all featured in the Lions’ tour to South Africa in 2021.

The Lions can also call on the experience of three-times tourists Elliot Daly and Tadhg Furlong, who have een named on the replacements bench.

Itoje and Beirne will pack down in the second-row with Finlay Bealham and Ellis Genge named as the starting props and they will be joined in the front-row by Luke Cowan-Dickie, who lines up at hooker.

The pack is completed by an exciting back-row which consists of Jac Morgan and Tom Curry, who are the two flankers, while Ben Earl gets the nod at number eight.

In the backline, Northampton Saints and England’s Fin Smith and Alex Mitchell combine as the starting half-backs while Aki slots inside centre with Sione Tuipulotu joining him in a powerful looking midfield.

Felipe Contepomi shows his hand for Argentina’s eagerly anticipated clash with British & Irish Lions

The backline is completed by Marcus Smith, who starts at full-back with Tommy Freeman and Duhan van der Merwe lining up in the wider channels on the wings.

Farrell is looking forward to the challenge that awaits his side against Argentina.

“Congratulations to Maro Itoje ahead of leading out the Lions for the first time – it is a truly special moment and one that very few players ever get to experience,” he said.

“Maro has led the group well during our time in Portugal and then Dublin this week. This is also our first opportunity to show what the 2025 Lions are about and what we want to stand for as a team.

“We know that Argentina will challenge us up front and out wide – so Friday night will be a tough contest, but also a great occasion for all the fans.”

British & Irish Lions team to face Argentina

British & Irish Lions: 15 Marcus Smith, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Sione Tuipulotu, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Jac Morgan, 6 Tom Curry, 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 Maro Itoje (c), 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Ellis Genge
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

Date: Friday, June 20
Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Kick-off: 20:00 BST (19:00 GMT)
Referee: James Doleman (NZR)
Assistant Referees: Nika Amashukeli (GRU), Andrea Piardi (FIR)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (FFR)

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