Henry says heat turned up for Pumas

You usually have to wait until the back end of a Six Nations or a World Cup to see it but Ireland are close to boiling point as they prepare to meet Argentina on Saturday in a game that will dictate the order of business for the next three years.

Training ground tension is nothing new for rugby players — some coaches consider it a pre-requisite for a decent performance — but it usually precedes the championship days, not an autumn international.

Yet this weekend’s clash with the Pumas at the Aviva Stadium is no ordinary Test. It may be a friendly on the International Rugby Board’s calendar but with world rankings determining the seedings for the 2015 World Cup pool draw which takes place a week on Monday, this is Ireland’s only chance to stop their slide out of the top eight and into the hat marked ‘outsiders’.