Welsh internationals may have been integral in the British Lions beating Australia last summer but according to Principality skipper Sam Warburton it will count for nothing this weekend.
Wales and Australia will go head-to-head in Cardiff this weekend, with the Wallabies having won their last eight encounters against Warren Gatland’s men – the last three have all been late loses for Warburton and co.
There were 11 Welshmen in the Lions’ side in the deciding Sydney Test starting line-up, before two more Welshmen also came on as replacements.
And with Wales in the same 2015 World Cup group as Australia and England, Warburton believes his side must put down a sizeable marker this weekend against the Wallabies.
“The Lions has no bearing on the match on Saturday,” said Warburton. “The Lions hasn’t been spoken about once. I haven’t been thinking about it.
“There might be nine or 10 of us who played against them, but there are still another 13 guys in the [match-day] squad on Saturday.
“The players are very confident and if we can finish this series [of matches] with three wins out of four then it would be a success compared to last year.
“I have always thought that Wales can’t be called contenders, until we beat the southern hemisphere sides.
“There is still another campaign next autumn, so it’s not like someone is holding a gun to your head saying ‘you have to win this weekend’.
“But sooner, rather than later, it would be nice because it gives you momentum going into the Six Nations.
“To beat Australia would be a big hurdle for Wales and we have got to try to achieve that this weekend. It would be massive to get a win.
“If we could finish the year with a win then it would be one of the most successful years Wales will have had in a while – that’s a big motivating factor for me.”
