Ireland coach Declan Kidney has named an extended 28-man squad ahead of Saturday's meeting with Argentina at Croke Park to allow Paul O'Connell and Rory Best the opportunity to recover from dead legs sustained in the defeat to the All Blacks.
The coach is also awaiting the verdict of Alan Quinlan's disciplinary hearing tomorrow after the flanker was cited for an alleged stamp on New Zealand number eight Rodney So'oialo.
Prop Tony Buckley remains in the squad despite being named on the bench for tonight's match between Munster and Graham Henry's tourists at Thomond Park.
Jerry Flannery and Bernard Jackman are named in the squad should Best need to be replaced, while Malcolm O'Kelly and London Irish captain Bob Casey are named as cover for the O'Connell, though Ulster's Ryan Caldwell did not make the cut.
Kidney will name his matchday 22 on Thursday morning.
"Both Paul and Rory are doing okay. as they rehab from their dead legs and took a limited part in training today," said Kidney in a statement this afternoon. "Alan is involved in a disciplinary hearing, so we are just trying to give as much time possible for these matters to be cleared up before we confirm the team".
"All three of them have been named in the squad and the fact that we decided on 28 members shows how competitive the battle for places in this game is. It also allows us to cover several combinations if anybody is ruled out of the game.
"While we would normally name our team today, I think the circumstances and also the importance of the game meant we needed to give ourselves that extra couple of days to consider all the options that would become available to us."
A win over the Pumas, ranked fourth in the world, is essential on Saturday if Ireland are to retain their position as the eighth-ranked team ahead of Scotland.
Dropping any lower in the rankings would see Kidney's side pooled with two heavyweights of the game when the draw for the opening stages of the 2011 World Cup is made on December 1st.
"Nobody is doubting the challenge that faces us this Saturday against another team that is above us in the IRB rankings. Added to the fact that both teams have something to play for in terms of those world rankings, I think that it gives this game even more of a competitive edge.
"As I said on Monday, Argentina is a team that work and play extremely hard for each other, so they will no doubt be even better then they have been in their two games to date."
Ireland Squad versus Argentina
Backs: Tommy Bowe (Ospreys), Girvan Dempsey (Terenure College - Leinster), Keith Earls (Young Munster - Munster), Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College - Leinster), Shane Horgan (Boyne - Leinster), Robert Kearney (UCD - Leinster), Geordan Murphy (Leicester), Brian O'Driscoll (UCD - Leinster), Ronan O'Gara (Cork Constitution - Munster), Tomas O'Leary (Dolphin - Munster), Eoin Reddan (Wasps), Paddy Wallace (Ballymena - Ulster)
Forwards: Rory Best (Banbridge - Ulster), Tony Buckley (Shannon - Munster), Bob Casey (London Irish), Tom Court (Ballymena - Munster), Stephen Ferris (Dungannon - Ulster), Jerry Flannery (Shannon - Munster), John Hayes (Bruff- Munster), Jamie Heaslip (Naas - Leinster), Marcus Horan (Shannon - Munster), Bernard Jackman (Clontarf - Leinster), Shane Jennings (St. Mary's College - Leinster), Donncha O'Callaghan (Cork Constitution - Munster), Paul O'Connell (Young Munster - Munster), Malcolm O'Kelly (St. Mary's College - Leinster), Alan Quinlan (Shannon - Munster), David Wallace (Garryowen - Munster)
