diff --git a/packages/core/src/render3/definition.ts b/packages/core/src/render3/definition.ts
index 13ea394cfd..bdf33b1176 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/render3/definition.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/render3/definition.ts
@@ -36,8 +36,11 @@ export function defineComponent<T>(componentDefinition: ComponentDefArgs<T>): Co
     n: componentDefinition.factory,
     tag: (componentDefinition as ComponentDefArgs<T>).tag || null !,
     template: (componentDefinition as ComponentDefArgs<T>).template || null !,
-    r: componentDefinition.refresh ||
-        function(d: number, e: number) { componentRefresh(d, e, componentDefinition.template); },
+    r: componentDefinition.refresh || (componentDefinition.template ?
+                                           function(d: number, e: number) {
+                                             componentRefresh(d, e, componentDefinition.template);
+                                           } :
+                                           noop),
     h: componentDefinition.hostBindings || noop,
     inputs: invertObject(componentDefinition.inputs),
     outputs: invertObject(componentDefinition.outputs),
diff --git a/packages/core/test/render3/compiler_canonical_spec.ts b/packages/core/test/render3/compiler_canonical_spec.ts
index 3e589dde34..f6a8fdad3a 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/render3/compiler_canonical_spec.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/render3/compiler_canonical_spec.ts
@@ -95,6 +95,7 @@ describe('compiler specification', () => {
               r3.T(3, '!');
             }
             ChildComponent.ngComponentDef.r(1, 0);
+            SomeDirective.ngDirectiveDef.r(2, 0);
           }
         });
         // /NORMATIVE
@@ -112,7 +113,7 @@ describe('compiler specification', () => {
     xit('should support structural directives', () => {
       const log: string[] = [];
       @Directive({
-        selector: 'if',
+        selector: '[if]',
       })
       class IfDirective {
         constructor(template: TemplateRef<any>) { log.push('ifDirective'); }
@@ -180,7 +181,8 @@ describe('compiler specification', () => {
               r3.e();
               r3.T(2);
             }
-            r3.t(2, r3.b1('Hello ', r3.m<any>(1).value, '!'));
+            const l1_user = r3.m<any>(1);
+            r3.t(2, r3.b1('Hello ', l1_user.value, '!'));
           }
         });
         // NORMATIVE