Ireland suffered a late setback ahead of their Nations Championship clash against Argentina, with Bundee Aki ruled out just minutes before kick-off.

The experienced centre was withdrawn from Andy Farrell's matchday squad shortly before the game got underway at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

Irish Rugby confirmed Aki was unavailable through illness, forcing a last-minute change to the replacements.

It was an unwelcome blow for Ireland as they began their autumn campaign.

Ireland confirm late squad change

Aki had originally been named among the replacements for Friday night's encounter.

However, the British & Irish Lions centre was ruled out less than an hour before kick-off.

Leinster back Jamie Osborne was drafted onto the bench and handed the number 23 shirt.

Robbie Henshaw and Stuart McCloskey retained their places in Ireland's starting midfield partnership.

The late withdrawal left Farrell without one of his most experienced international backs.

Ireland forced into another change

Ireland entered the Argentina clash looking to build momentum ahead of a demanding November schedule.

Farrell had already been forced to manage several selection concerns, with Garry Ringrose also unavailable for the match.

Aki's absence added another complication, although Osborne offered valuable versatility across the backline.

The 24-year-old can operate at centre or full-back, giving Ireland cover should they need to reshuffle during the contest.

The match kicked off at 8:10pm GMT on Friday evening.

For more updates, visit our Ireland rugby news hub or follow the latest developments in our rugby news section.