British and Irish Lions

South African head coach Peter de Villiers feels the belief his side picked up as a result of Saturday's win over New Zealand will stand them in good stead for years to come.

The Springboks recorded a sensational 30-28 victory in Dunedin to dispel the myth that the All Blacks were nigh on unbeatable in their own backyard and de Villiers believes the win could provide the perfect springboard ahead of the remainder of this year's Tri Nations and next summer's series against the Lions.

"One thing the All Blacks have had over us is that our players didn't believe that they could go to New Zealand and beat them there," said de Villiers.

"The guys wanted it so badly. We have a lot of talent and by getting a fair chance to compete they were able to come through.

"For this team, and for future teams, it was the best thing that could have happened because it makes such a difference going forward.

"We might never fully understand what those two points mean to us as South Africans."

Three former British & Irish Lions will line-up against an England XV at Twickenham Stadium on Sunday as the Barbarians warm-up for their showdown with the 2013 tourists in Hong Kong next week.

Radike Samo, one of only two players still playing top level rugby in Australia who placed against the 2001 British & Irish Lions, will return to top flight action with Queensland Reds against the Stormers in Cape Town on Sunday.