Andy Farrell looking for players to show a bit of early attitude to go with their talent but Argentina showed it will take time
Swag is a word more common in the US than in this corner of the world. It’s a made-to-measure term for athletes with attitude as well as talent; a bit of showmanship to go with the substance. It helps sell the product. When we think of the Lions we like the idea of a bit of swag to go with the occasional success.
Scott Gibbs for example, on the 1997 winning tour to South Africa, the trip that rescued the idea of four countries merging into one and still having a relevance in the newly professionalised game. Or Brian O’Driscoll’s stunning impact on his first tour, in Australia in 2001. George North did the same thing in the same country in 2013.
So this opener was the first audition of who might put their hand up in Australia 2025. On the basis of his exploits on this pitch with Northampton Saints against Leinster in the Champions Cup semi-final last month you had to consider Tommy Freeman before the stalls even opened. This game was only 10 minutes old when his mate Fin Smith cross-kicked perfectly to him, 10 metres from the Argentina line, only for Ignacio Mendy to intercept the ball brilliantly in mid- air. Otherwise Freeman could have lodged a claim that the north-east corner of Lansdowne Road should have a plaque with his name on it. Two of his three touchdowns against Leinster came on that little patch of land.
