Rugby’s Social Media Moments of the Week: Los Pumas stun British and Irish Lions

The summer period is well and truly upon us, meaning that rugby is now shifting its focus to international fixtures. 

While a couple of major club competitions took place, namely the Super Rugby Pacific and Top 14, most fans were focusing on the British and Irish Lions‘ first game in front of fans for eight years. 

Elsewhere, there was some positive news for a couple of Rugby Europe nations and England XV played France XV in a game that brought plenty of drama, both on and off the pitch. 

Social media caught it all on camera and had a lot to say about each incident, and here are some of the most talked-about moments from online. 

Los Pumas surprise the Lions – first time in history 

The British and Irish Lions returned for the first time in four years, and the first in eight years in front of fans, to play Argentina in Dublin ahead of their tour to Australia. 

It was a heavily rotated squad with the majority of the Leinster, Bath and Leicester Tigers players being rested following their finals the week before. 

As with the nature of the Lions, too, most of the players on the pitch had never played with each other previously. 

It still came as a slight shock that Los Pumas ran out as winners, although they are a very good side and are actually ranked above the Wallabies in the World Rankings. 

For the neutral, it was an entertaining game and ended with over 50 points being scored, finishing 28-24 in favour of Argentina. 

Some poor defending from the Lions and some mistakes on the ball characterised what was evidently a game to help players gel together and build some chemistry on the pitch ahead of their games in Australia. 

There will be no cause for concern based on that game, but performances should improve game by game.

Feyi-Waboso Red Card

England XV played France XV at Twickenham in what ended up being a pretty poor day for Steve Borthwick‘s side, both on and off the pitch. 

Off the pitch, many fans were unable to watch due to the designated streaming service not being able to handle the traffic. 

Meanwhile, on it, England faltered to a late 26-24 defeat against what was effectively France’s C team, while being a pretty strong England side. 

The worst moment of all was Immanuel Feyi-Waboso’s reckless 20-minute red card, which he got for an absurdly high tackle on Antoine Hastoy. 

That means that he will get a two-match ban and won’t be able to be selected in either test against Los Pumas, but will be available to play the USA. 

Steve Borthwick has since selected him in the final squad, so he will be touring despite missing two out of three Tests. 

Lions fever hits Germany 

Some good news came out of one of the Rugby Europe nations following the Lions’ game against Argentina. 

It has been confirmed that the viewing figures for the game were so high in Germany that every match from the tour will now be shown on TV for free in the country. 

Tests will be on ProSieben Maxx, whilst the other games will be shown on the Joyn App, both of which are free to watch in Germany. 

Positive news regarding rugby viewership in a football-dominated country can only be a good thing, and it shows that there is a very large potential appetite for the sport in the country. 

Hopefully, more eyes on the game leads to long-term development. 

Dutch player called up for All Blacks 

On the face of things, a new player being called up for the All Blacks doesn’t seem hugely newsworthy. 

But Fabian Holland’s recent call-up is some good news for another Rugby Europe nation, the Netherlands. 

That is because Holland was born and raised in the European country, played rugby as a child over there,e and only moved to New Zealand at age 16 and has now been selected as an All Black. 

What this selection will do for people in Rugby Europe nations and especially the Netherlands cannot be understated, as it gives people hope that they can reach the pinnacle of the sport, even if they don’t grow up in one of the major rugby-playing nations. 

Some see this as a negative thing, though, and believe that he should play for the Netherlands; therefore, there has been an online debate regarding the positive implications of this news. 

Crusaders Continue Dominance 

The Super Rugby Pacific final was played out this weekend, with the Crusaders seeing off the Chiefs 16-12 in the final. 

It cements the Crusaders’ status as one of the most dominant franchises in rugby history over the years. 

They have now won 15 titles in 30 attempts and have only missed out on the play-offs on five occasions in those 30 years. 

Reaction to the final itself was mixed, with some seeing it as a poor showing and others simply praising the side for what has been a remarkable season. 

Top 14 Rivalry Confirmed for Final 

Now that Super Rugby is finished, the Top 14 is the only major league still going on in rugby. 

The semi-finals were played out this weekend, and to nobody’s surprise, the final will be between Bordeaux-Begles and Toulouse. 

Both teams are head and shoulders above the rest (aside from maybe Toulon) and are the deserved two finalists. 

They met in the Champions Cup semis, with Bordeaux running out winners on their way to winning the trophy. 

With the final being played next weekend, there is sure to be plenty of drama in France. 

By Charlie Elliott

READ MORE: Joe Schmidt rejects British and Irish Lions’ demands to release Australia stars for tour games