Rob Howley, the assistant coach of the British and Irish Lions and the Wales Rugby Team believes that the Lions’ win over Australia in the summer test series has given the players of the Welsh national side enough confidence to do the same with the Wales national team. He feels that the win over the Australians at their own backyard can help the confidence of the players of the Six Nations champions and aid them reach another level where they can finally beat one of the big three.
The Wales national team had 10 players on show in the first team in the series clincher against The Wallabies and each of those players played a key role in the demolition of the Australian team last weekend. And according to Howley, having tasted success over The Wallabies with The Lions, it will provide a huge psychological lift for the players of the Wales Rugby Team when they next come up with a side from the Southern Hemisphere.
Wales take on South Africa at home in the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff in the autumn and Howley believes that the team will go into the matches against the South Africans full of self belief after their success Down Under. The Wales attack coach stated that from the perspective of the Welsh national team, they have been there many times and come very close but still didn’t quite go the distance.
He went on to mention that when they next take on a side from the Southern Hemisphere, they can go into the match knowing they have beaten them and beaten them by the magnitude they have over the last fortnight or so. Overall, 15 players from the Wales Rugby Team were selected for the British and Irish Lions, the most since the 1977 tour.