Ireland v Argentina (Sat)

Venue: Croke Park Date: Saturday, 22 November Kick-off: 1445 GMT
Coverage: Live on BBC One, BBC 5 live sports extra, BBC Radio Ulster MW and BBC Sport website, with live text commentary on the BBC Sport website

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Brian O'Driscoll (right) is tackled by Juan Martin Hernandez at last year's World Cup

Ireland's clash with Argentina is effectively a World Cup qualifier with defeat likely to leave the Irish as a third-tier seed at the 2011 event.

That would represent a dismal start to Declan Kidney's Ireland reign after last weekend's insipid effort against the All Blacks.

Argentina ended Ireland's World Cup hopes last year and at fourth, are four places higher in the current rankings.

Ireland will slip to ninth if they lose at Croke Park and Scotland beat Canada.

Geordan Murphy's recall was the big story from the Ireland team announcement on Thursday.

Murphy's inclusion at full-back in place of the dropped Girvan Dempsey was one of three changes made to the team that showed no potency in last week's 22-3 defeat.

606: DEBATE While we need to beat Argentina to ensure a second-tier World Cup seeding, Kidney seems to be erring on the side of caution dazzlingdublinblue

Stephen Ferris returns for the suspended Alan Quinlan in the back-row and Jerry Flannery is at hooker in place of Rory Best who drops to the bench.

Quinlan's failure to win his appeal on Friday means that uncapped Munster player Donnacha Ryan is drafted into the replacements.

Murphy can expect be tested by a few high balls from Argentine fly-half Juan Martin Hernandez although the Pumas backline will be weakened by the absence of injured Felipe Contepomi.

Contepomi's absence because of a hand infection means that flanker Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe will captain the visitors.

In all, the Pumas starting line-up has only six members of the side that thumped Ireland 30-15 in the World Cup group game last year.

Argentina invariably rely on the twin strengths of a very solid kicking game and an exceptionally strong front five - although their scrum did come under some pressure in last weekend's 22-14 win over Italy.

That victory, helped by 17 Contepomi points, ended a run of four games without a win and lifted some of the pressure on coach Santiago Phelan.

But the Pumas have not been producing anything like the form that helped them finish third in last year's World Cup so Saturday appears to represent a good chance for the Irish to claim a morale-boosting success.

World Cup seeding at stake - O'Driscoll

For his part, Kidney has been his ever-cautious self in the run-up to Saturday's game.

"It's going to be very physical. Argentina do have a way of keeping the scoreboard ticking along," said the Irish coach.

The Irish midfield partnership of captain Brian O'Driscoll and Luke Fitzgerald will hope to exploit Contepomi's absence at centre.

Fitzgerald has been Ireland's best back this autumn and Saturday's looks to be a good opportunity for the young Leinster star to cut loose.

He faces up against Miguel Avramovic, who gets his first start of the tour, with Federico Martin Aramburu switching from wing to occupy the other centre berth.

Francisco Leonelli comes in at wing and Horacio Agulla switches to full-back in place of Bernardo Stortoni.

Argentina's other change from the win in Turin sees Rimas Alvarez Kairelis, a loose forward against Italy, partnering Patricio Albacete in the second-row with Esteban Lozada demoted to the bench

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Ireland: G Murphy; Bowe, B O'Driscoll, Fitzgerald, Kearney; O'Gara, O'Leary; Horan, Flannery, Hayes, O'Callaghan, O'Connell, Ferris, D Wallace, Heaslip.
Replacements: R Best, Buckley, O'Kelly, Ryan, Reddan, P Wallace, Earls.

Argentina: H Agulla; F Leonelli, F Martin Aramburu, M Avramovic, R Carballo; J-M Hernandez, N Vergallo; R Roncero, M Ledesma, J P Orlandi; R Alvarez Kairelis, P Albacete; M Durand, J-M Fernandez Lobbe, J-M Leguizamon.
Replacements: A Vernet Basualdo, M Ayerza, E Lozada, A Galindo, A Figuerola, S Fernandez, B Stortoni.