DUBLIN (AP) — Maro Itoje will captain the British & Irish Lions for the first time after being selected to start the non-cap rugby international against Argentina in Dublin on Friday.
Itoje, who was chosen to lead the squad last month, was one of nine England players in the starting XV announced on Wednesday for the Lions' tour opener, with Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith as the halfbacks.
“It's going to be amazing,” said Itoje, who is also England captain. “It's been very nice to be so warmly received here in Dublin."
After the Argentina game, the Lions will fly to Australia for a nine-match tour featuring three tests against the Wallabies.
Ireland prop Tadhg Furlong was among the reserves against Los Pumas and will be given the opportunity to prove his fitness after struggling with a calf injury that ruled him out of Leinster’s victory over the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship final on Saturday.
The bench also included Ronan Kelleher, who will be involved against the Pumas six days after taking part in the URC final.
Lions coach Andy Farrell delivered some positive injury news, saying his squad was in “good shape” following concerns about the fitness of a few players.
Scrumhalf Jamison Gibson-Park is expected to be back to full fitness next week, Farrell said, adding that fullback Hugo Keenan was back running this week and center Huw Jones has returned to full training.
Asked what he wanted to see from the Lions against Argentina after spending less than two weeks together, Farrell said: "Cohesion, connection, an ability to attack the game from the off.
“You can give yourself any excuse as far as time together, etc, but we've had good prep and if you want to be a good Lions player, you've got to hit your straps straight from the off. We're going to see these players compete.”
Argentina's first of 13 matches this year comes seven months after its last — a loss to France in the autumn campaign. It will be Los Pumas' first meeting with the Lions since 2005.
Three players among the reserves will wear the Argentina jersey for the first time if they come on: front-rowers Bautista Bernasconi and Boris Wenger and flyhalf Simon Benitez Cruz.
Lineups:
Lions: Marcus Smith, Tommy Freeman, Sione Tuipulotu, Bundee Aki, Duhan van der Merwe, Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell; Ben Earl, Jac Morgan, Tom Curry, Tadhg Beirne, Maro Itoje, Finlay Bealham, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge. Reserves: Ronan Kelleher, Pierre Schoeman, Tadhg Furlong, Scott Cummings, Henry Pollock, Tomos Williams, Elliot Daly, Mack Hansen.
Argentina: Santiago Carreras, Rodrigo Isgro, Lucio Cinti, Justo Piccardo, Ignacio Mendy, Tomas Bathrobe, Gonzalo Garcia; Joaquin Oviedo, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Pablo Matera, Pedro Rubiolo, Franco Molina, Joel Sclavi, Julian Montoya (captain), Mayco Vivas. Reserves: Bautista Bernasconi, Boris Wenger, Francisco Coria Marchetti, Santiago Grondona, Joaquin Moro, Simon Benitez Cruz, Matias Moroni, Santiago Lamb
AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
Scott Cummings of the British and Irish Lions during a training session at the USD University Club in Dublin, Monday, June 16, 2025. (Niall Carson/PA via AP)
Henry Pollock of the British and Irish Lions during a training session at the USD University Club in Dublin, Monday, June 16, 2025. (Niall Carson/PA via AP)
FILE - England's Maro Itoje celebrates after his team won the Rugby World Cup quarterfinal match between England and Fiji at the Stade de Marseille in Marseille, France, Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani, File)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.
Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.
Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”
Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”
Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.
“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”
He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”
Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.
More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.
With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.
Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.
In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.
Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”
Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.
“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.
The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.
The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.
Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.
In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)
In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)
In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)
