Three Irish players will feature in the British and Irish Lions team for the 2025 campaign opener, with Tadhg Furlong set to make his comeback from injury as a replacement in the game against Argentina at Aviva Stadium.

Furlong, a tighthead prop on his third Lions tour, has been sidelined since May due to a calf injury but is now fit to be among the substitutes.

Munster's Tadhg Beirne, along with Connacht duo Bundee Aki and Finlay Bealham, will start against Argentina, who have already announced their matchday squad.

Leinster's Rónan Kelleher is the sole member of the squad who played in the URC and Premiership finals last weekend, and he will be on the bench alongside Connacht's Mack Hansen.

Tour captain Maro Itoje will lead the team out on Friday, with nine English players in the starting lineup, including Northampton Saints' Fin Smith and Alex Mitchell in the half-back positions.

The team also features eight players making their Lions debut, with a strong center pairing of Aki and Scotland's Sione Tuipulotu, and Marcus Smith at full-back.

The forward pack includes Bealham, Luke Cowan-Dickie, and Ellis Genge in the front row, while the bench will see Kelleher, Furlong, and Scotland's Pierre Schoeman as cover.

Ben Earl, Tom Curry, and Jac Morgan make up the back row, with Scott Cummings and Henry Pollock as additional forward replacements, and Tomos Williams and Elliot Daly joining Hansen as backline cover.

British and Irish Lions Team:

• Marcus Smith; Tommy Freeman, Sione Tuipulotu, Bundee Aki, Duhan van der Merwe; Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell; Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Finlay Bealham; Maro Itoje (capt), Tadhg Beirne; Tom Curry, Jac Morgan, Ben Earl

Replacements:

• Rónan Kelleher, Pierre Schoeman, Tadhg Furlong, Scott Cummings, Henry Pollock, Tomos Williams, Elliot Daly, Mack Hansen

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