Brumbies 14-12 British & Irish Lions, Canberra
Win will lift Wallabies: Jake White
ESPN Staff
June 18, 2013

Coach Jake White believes the Brumbies' defeat of the British & Irish Lions in Canberra on Tuesday night will give the Wallabies a lift ahead of Saturday night's first Test in Brisbane.

White's Brumbies won 14-12 and became the sixth Australian side, including the Wallabies, to keep the Lions try-less in a match.

"It's a massive result. This is a very young group of players who only got together 18 months ago and no one would ever have dreamt that we would have achieve Super Rugby-wise but to also get a win against the Lions doesn't happen," the former Springbok World Cup-winning coach told The Sydney Morning Herald. "The Brumbies even in their heyday couldn't do it so we're very mindful that this is as big as it gets for any boy who has played at this level."

White was certain the Brumbies' win would give the Wallabies confidence going into the Test series.

"I would have said yesterday it would have made no difference [to the Test series] if we won or lost," White said. "The Lions know what's coming and what the expectation is. But looking now, I've got no doubt the boys sitting in the Wallabies camp would have looked at that result and the performance of some of these young boys and said, 'It's do-able now'.

"... I would say now the Wallabies boys would be thinking this is possible, whereas a couple of days ago they would have thought it's a massive uphill battle."

The result made Wallabies and Brumbies great Stephen Larkham cry.

"This is one of the best, very emotional," Larkham told The Sydney Morning Herald. "The boys knew what they were doing, we've closed out some teams this year but this is one of the best. I'm very emotional, we're going to enjoy this tonight and then refocus on the Force."

© ESPN Australia / New Zealand

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