Andy Farrell was in no mood for excuses. Having just watched his British and Irish Lions suffer defeat to Argentina in his first game in charge, the head coach was given every opportunity to equivocate the result or palliate the performance. The gathered media offered him plenty of chances to blame a lack of time together or the familiar first-game struggles of past tours. That he did not do so reflects a demand for the high standards he feels the Lions should always set.
“We have to say it how it is,” Farrell stressed as he took exception to a gentle enquiry about whether it was good to have got this game out of the way. “Losing hurts, especially in this jersey. We need to find solutions pretty quickly and be honest with ourselves because some good has to come from this.”
