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Cape Town - Munster and Ireland No 8 CJ Stander believes defeat in the first Test to Australia may be a blessing in disguise for the Grand Slam winners.
The Wallabies brought an end to Ireland's 13-game unbeaten streak with a 18-9 victory in the first Test of a three-Test series in Brisbane on Saturday.
And Stander believes it was just the kick up the backside needed as Ireland look to improve significantly in Melbourne this weekend.
"We've had a great campaign and we're not used to losing, so maybe it's something we needed," Stander told the Belfast Telegraph.
"It would be great to end the series with a win and go on holiday with that, but we need to be a lot better to get there.
"It's something (losing) we haven't felt in a long time. At some stages we weren't as sharp as we wanted to be. Australia took their chances and converted them into points, we didn't.
"We know we can fix the small things and when we fix them we can get to the level we were at in the Six Nations."
Meanwhile, Keith Earls remains a major doubt for Saturday's clash but Johnny Sexton, Tadgh Furlong and Cian Healy should all be restored to the starting line-up.
