Darren Cave inherits the No.13 jumper from Brian O'Driscoll © Getty Images

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Robbie Diack will make his Test debut for Ireland against Argentina in Resistancia on Saturday.

Diack, 28, replaces the injured Peter O'Mahony at blindside with fellow back-rower Jordi Murphy also poised to make his first Test start.

Simon Zebo, Jack McGrath, Iain Henderson, Felix Jones, Darren Cave and Luke Marshall have also been drafted into the starting XV as coach Joe Schmidt made eight changes to the side that clinched the Six Nations title against France. Cave will take the No.13 shirt that belonged to now-retired Brian O'Driscoll.

"Robbie's had a good season, he's a very good line-out option, has worked hard defensively for Ulster and carried pretty good ball for them as well," said Schmidt. "He went on the Emerging [Ireland] tour last year so we had a look at that and we've tracked him through this season, now we feel he deserves an opportunity."

Leinster pair Devin Toner and Jamie Heaslip drop to the bench after helping their province to the RaboDirect PRO12 title last weekend, while Cian Healy, Gordon d'Arcy, Sean O'Brien and Tommy Bowe have been all rested from the two-Test series.

Connacht duo Kieran Marmion and New Zealand-born Rodney Ah You are poised to make their debuts off the bench.

"We expect Argentina to be really combative," added Schmidt. "They've got some good guys up front who are going to carry hard at us, guys such as [Javier Ortega] Desio and [Benjamin] Macome. Then out wide they've got some really big lads who are likely to be very combative as well. It's a real mix and an unknown for us, plus it's a bit unknown what we're going to deliver as well because there are several guys in for their first taste of rugby action with us."

Ireland: Felix Jones, Andrew Trimble, Darren Cave, Luke Marshall, Simon Zebo, Jonathan Sexton, Conor Murray; Jack McGrath, Rory Best, Mike Ross, Iain Henderson, Paul O'Connell (captain), Robbie Diack, Chris Henry, Jordi Murphy

Replacements: Damien Varley, Dave Kilcoyne, Rodney Ah You, Devin Toner, Jamie Heaslip, Kieran Marmion, Ian Madigan, Fergus McFadden