British and Irish Lions Swarmed by Enthusiastic Fans Upon Arrival in Perth Following Disheartening Farewell Defeat to Argentina

The British and Irish Lions have finally arrived in Australia, seemingly unfazed by their historic defeat to Argentina.

In an upset on Saturday (AEST), the Lions suffered a 28-24 loss to the Pumas in Dublin—marking their first defeat against Argentina in 115 years of competition, with the Lions previously winning their first six encounters before a draw in 2005.

The Argentine side, missing a dozen key players, had just two proper training sessions under their belt and were considered 11-to-1 outsiders by the bookmakers.

“Naturally, we’ll be evaluating what occurred against Argentina and analysing the reasons behind it,” said Lions coach Andy Farrell at Perth Airport, as he was surrounded by fans following a lengthy 20-hour journey via Doha.

“This is just part of our journey – to grasp what we need to do moving forward. We’re in Australia to prepare for what promises to be a thrilling Test series, aiming to showcase some exceptional rugby on the way.

“As we progress, we’ll gain a deeper insight into each other.

“It’s fantastic to be here; this is what we aimed for. We’re here for a memorable experience, and we hope to kick off this part of the tour in style on Saturday.”

The Lions’ Australian tour will commence against the Western Force at Optus Stadium on Saturday.

Farrell confirmed that the team facing the Force will largely consist of players from Leinster, Bath, and Leicester, who joined the Lions after last weekend’s United Rugby Championship and Premiership finals.

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The touring party arrived in Australia without Scotland fullback Blair Kinghorn, who will instead participate in the France Top 14 final with Toulouse against Bordeaux this coming weekend.

In terms of fitness, there was a mixture of good news and bad.

Scotland’s Huw Jones has successfully recovered from an Achilles injury and is available for selection against the Force, while Ireland internationals Jamison Gibson-Park (glute) and Hugo Keenan (calf) remain doubtful.

“We’ll monitor how the players respond midweek,” Farrell stated.

“Huw Jones is good to go; he was fully involved in training with us last week, so he’s ready to play.”

Meanwhile, Wallabies winger Max Jorgensen has declared himself fit and prepared for the Test against Fiji in Newcastle on July 6.

Jorgensen has been out of action since March due to a serious ankle syndesmosis injury sustained while playing for the Waratahs in Wellington.

“Getting injured is challenging,” Jorgensen admitted.

“I’m nearly back to full fitness and playing games again. I started full training last week and this week, so I’m gradually getting back into it. I can’t complain as it’s feeling really good now.”