What the Lions would want to improve against the Force

June 26, 2025
1651
Ultimate Rugby

Andy Farrell has named Dan Sheehan as captain for The British & Irish Lions' first fixture in Australia as they take on Western Force in Perth on Saturday. After their 24-28 loss to Argentina last weekend at the Aviva Stadium, Farrell and his troops would look to fix a few aspects of their game.

1. Controlling the flow of the match. We saw last weekend against Argentina the Lions struggled to keep the opposition out in key moments. Tomos Albornoz scored a try in the 38th minute after the ball popped out of a breakdown inside their own half.

2.Turning possession and territory into points. The Lions had 59% possession and 67% territory against Argentina but could not turn it into points

3.Tackle success. Last weekend the Lions only managed to make 85/108 tackles (79%). Against the Force with their dangerous outside backs, they would want to close down their space and make an effective tackle.

4.Lineouts. Against Argentina, they won 14/18 lineouts (78%). One could argue that Argentina only had 7/8 lineouts but you would expect more from a team loaded with International players. With Sheehan coming in as hooker and Scott Cummings and Joe McCarthy as locks, the Lions would look to secure more of theur own lineouts

5. Turning offloads into tries. The Lions made 15 offloads against Argentina. 10 More than the visitors. They also beat 39 defenders to Argentina's 23. With Tomos Williams and Finn Russell starting at 9 and 10, one could expect more offloads.