ROB Howley believes the British and Irish Lions’ success Down Under will give Wales the belief they need to claim a long-awaited southern hemisphere scalp.

Wales provided 11 members of the matchday squad that drubbed Australia 41-16 in the deciding third Test in Sydney.

Lions and Wales asssistant Howley believes such a comprehensive victory will give his compatriots a giant lift when they reconvene for the autumn internationals.

South Africa and the Wallabies head to the Millennium Stadium and Wales will be looking for a first win against the southern hemisphere big guns since the 2008 success against Australia.

“From a Welsh perspective, we have been there so many times and been so close and yet so far away,” said the attack coach.

“I have got no doubt when they take on the southern hemisphere guys again, these Lions can go there knowing they’ve beaten them and by the magnitude that we’ve beaten them over the last three weeks.

“It has got us over the line and the manner of the win on Saturday, putting 41 points on Australia and scoring four tries to one, just shows we can do it.”

The Lions’ brutal dismantling of the Wallabies made Howley think back to Wales’ 30-3 drubbing of England in Cardiff, a success that denied their visitors a Grand Slam and retained the Six Nations title.

“The one thing that Australia struggled to do was cope with our physicality,” he said.

“I thought our mentality in terms of our performance reminded me a little bit of the Wales-England game back in March.

“Having conceded a try just before half-time and then an easy six points after the break, we were asking the players to go again and get to another level and we did that.

“That was the most pleasing aspect really.

“We put ourselves in an arm wrestle again and were able to go to another level and one that Australia couldn’t cope with.”