The British & Irish Lions have done many things in the 135 years since they first toured – and a trip to Argentina may have been one of the most impactful.
In 1910, the Lions embarked on two separate Tours, one to Argentina and the other to South Africa.
The first of those, under the leadership of Major RV Stanley, who was later an England selector, saw Argentina play their first-ever international rugby match.
While the team was initially branded an England Rugby Union team, they included three Scots in the 19-strong squad and were referred to as a Combined British Isles side by their hosts.
The Lions played six matches in all on the Tour, captained by England full-back John Raphael, with the fifth of those coming on June 12 against Argentina.
In what is now regarded as their first official Test, Argentina were beaten 28-3. In the encounter, at the Sociedad Sportiva Argentina of Palermo, Argentina scored their maiden international try, through Cornelius MacCarthy or Frank Heriot, depending on the reports.
The team played under the name of ‘The River Plate Rugby Football Union’, and among the players who featured was Barry ‘Fairy’ Heatlie, who had previously played for South Africa against the Lions on their Tours in 1896 and 1903.
The Tour was also part of the centenary celebrations of the May Revolution when Viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros was ousted from office and replaced with the Primera Junta, the first national government.
At the time of the Tour, neither the Lions nor Argentina realised quite how important this voyage would be, with the match later recognised as Argentina’s first, while it was also officially recorded as Lions Tour further down the line.
In the 113 years since that match, Los Pumas have developed into one of the world’s top sides, memorably finishing third at the 2007 Rugby World Cup, and going on to reach the semi-finals once again in 2015.
Over the past two years, they have added a maiden win over the All Blacks, as well as a first win away in New Zealand as they prepare for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, where they have been drawn in a group alongside England, Japan, Samoa and Chile.
