The desire to cement places in Eddie O'Sullivan's World Cup squad will make up for Ireland's inexperience when they take on Argentina on Saturday, centre Andrew Trimble believes.

Nine of the 15 players that start at Brigadier Estanislao Lopez Stadium have won fewer than 10 caps, with centre Kieran Lewis capped just once and Brian Carney making his debut.

Six out of the nine are backs, with Gavin Duffy playing at full-back for the first time.

But Trimble, the fourth most experienced in the starting XV with 14 caps, believes a combination of youth and will can help the team defeat Argentina away from home for the first time.

"Even though there is a lot of inexperience in this team, there are a lot of guys who are extremely keen and a lot of young fellas like myself and we all have a big opportunity to play a very important game," the 22-year-old said.

The end goal for the 30 players is inclusion in the World Cup squad.  With O'Sullivan confirming half the places are still up for grabs, Saturday's match is the an opportunity to prove credentials ahead of the autumn.

Trimble, for one, has not looked back since breaking into the Ulster midfield in 2004 and he sees the Argentine tour as his chance to showcase his credentials.

"We are very excited to get stuck into this game, because there are World Cup places at stake," he said. "Everybody here wants to be at the World Cup so everybody is looking to impress Eddie."

And Trimble expects "a very physical game" against Marcelo Loffreda's side.

"The physical strength of the Argentine pack is great, so I think it will be vital to beat them," he said.

"When we meet their pack for the first time we'll have to do so with determination and very in their face to see how they manage that."  PA