O’Callaghan hopes to have played himself into side to face Argentina

Veteran second row Donncha O’Callaghan hopes he laid down a marker for selection in Declan Kidney’s Irish team for Saturday’s battle of the Aviva with old sparring partners Argentina.

O’Callaghan believes the meeting with their old rivals, a country that has inflicted quite a deal of pain on Ireland in the past, is like a cup final.

“The Argie game is something different in itself,” he said. “I’ll be honest, it is what our November will be judged on. It’s cup final stuff, that’s how it feels already, it has been three great weeks but it doesn’t matter if we don’t get a result.”