Ireland full back Girvan Dempsey believes coach Eddie O'Sullivan will rest his frontline players during the summer tour to Argentina.

Ireland travel to South America for a two-test series in Santa Fe and Buenos Aires on May 26th and June 2nd respectively.

O'Sullivan feels the brief tour will be an ideal opportunity to experiment and blood fringe players ahead of the World Cup campaign in France later this autumn.

"His thoughts were initially to rest the starting 15 from the Six Nations and I can't see him changing his mind," Dempsey said today.  "He probably will stick by that.

"It's an opportunity for him to see the extended squad going into the World Cup," added the Leinster player.

Last year's autumn internationals proved a successful blooding experience with the likes of Luke Fitzgerald, Paddy Wallace, Stephen Ferris and Jamie Heaslip introduced to the international stage.

O'Sullivan, speaking last month, stressed the Argentina tour could in fact play a far more significant role considering the competition for lucrative World Cup squad places.

"'The Argentina tour will have a role to play in development in the way the autumn internationals did, and probably more so," he said at the time.

"There might be an opportunity against Argentina to give guys some Test time. We have established our starting 15 and 22.

"Now we must supplement that to make up the 30 for the World Cup. There are places up for grabs and Argentina will play a part of that."

O'Sullivan will announce his squad for Argentina and the Ireland A squad for the  Churchill Cup in England on Monday.