wins over

Riley is projecting confidence in Maiava, who led the Trojans to two wins over their final three games.

This is still a tough game for Liverpool, though, off the back of such a big week for them with wins over Real Madrid and Manchester City.

And while the autumn campaign has ended with back-to-back defeats after starting with wins over England and Wales, Schmidt says he is "heartened" by the progress his squad have made ahead of the Lions series.

Two wins over two legs against the Republic of Ireland is what's needed to ensure qualification for their first major tournament.

In their wins over England and Wales, their traditional flamboyance was married with discipline and steel, a hybrid of classic Wallaby swagger and the ruthless efficiency their coach, Joe Schmidt, perfected as coach of Ireland.