History of the 1888 Cup

The 1888 Cup saw Argentina become the first team to take on The British & Irish Lions in Dublin in an historic occasion.

Four years on from a memorable encounter between the Lions and Japan in Edinburgh, Los Pumas headed to the Aviva Stadium and earned a 28-24 victory in a thrilling encounter.

The match saw the Lions play in Ireland for the first time and was the curtain-raiser for the Tour, with the squad heading to Australia the following week.

Bundee Aki and Tadgh Beirne crossed for the Lions, who also scored through a penalty try, but tries from Ignacio Mendy, Tomas Albornoz and Santiago Cordero secured the spoils for the visitors.

The eagerly-awaited clash in Dublin was played in front of 51,700 spectators, the highest attendance for a Lions match in 12 years.

The match caught the attention of the Irish public as the Sea of Red descended on Dublin.

Try-scoring centre Bundee Aki said: "I don't think the fans fully understand how much it means to us.

"I got goosebumps when I saw the sea of red. [It was] unbelievable compared to what we had the last time."

Captain Maro Itoje, meanwhile, had one word for the atmosphere: "Spectacular."

The previous instalment of The 1888 Cup saw the Lions take on Japan.

In a match played in front of a reduced crowd in Edinburgh due to the Covid-19 restrictions at the time, the Lions warmed up for the 2021 Tour of South Africa by beating Japan in The 1888 Cup.

The hosts ran in three first-half tries before Tadhg Beirne sealed the victory early in the second period.