Bundee Aki calls for unity after Lions' shock loss

British & Irish Lions centre Bundee Aki has urged his teammates to rally together and respond with character after a stinging 28-24 defeat to Argentina in Dublin.

The result marked Argentina’s first ever win over the Lions and delivered a sobering start to the summer tour preparations.

Aki, who crossed for one of the Lions’ tries in the second half, admitted the frustration in the dressing room was palpable. “You can feel the frustration,” he said, but remained focused on the need to stay unified.

“There’s always another couple of days to rectify what’s gone wrong. It’s just sticking tight as a team.”

The match saw the Lions trail 21-10 at halftime after Argentina surged ahead with tries from Ignacio Mendy and Tomás Albornoz. Despite clawing back through a penalty try and touchdowns by Aki and Tadhg Beirne, the hosts fell short when Santiago Cordero’s try gave the Pumas a crucial edge.

Head coach Andy Farrell echoed Aki’s call for accountability. Refusing to sugar-coat the defeat, Farrell was blunt in his assessment:

“We need to be honest because if we’re not honest, how do we gain trust with each other?”

He pointed to issues in attack, breakdown execution, decision-making, and line-outs. Despite those concerns, Farrell praised the scrum and some flashes of aggression but admitted it simply wasn’t good enough on the day.

With the tour of Australia now looming, the pressure is on. Players like Hugo Keenan, Huw Jones, and Jamison Gibson-Park are set to return, but Farrell insists they cannot rely on reinforcements alone.

“This jersey demands more,” Aki added. “We’ll fix this together.”

The Lions face their first Test against the Wallabies on July 19.