British and Irish Lions

Morne du Plessis, who captained the Boks to a 3-1 win against Bill Beaumont's 1980 tourists, believes his countrymen should never take a series victory for granted.

The world champions came in for some heavy criticism following their crushing third-Test defeat in Johannesburg but du Plessis believes the people of South Africa should focus on the character shown to win the opening two Tests in Durban and Pretoria.

"I don't think we as a sporting public always appreciate how fortunate we are to be living in an era where we have such a strong and proud Springbok team to support," said du Plessis, who was team manager when the Boks lifted the World Cup for the first time in 1995.

"Having experienced what John (Smit) and his side have achieved makes me admire their tenacity and team spirit even more.

"The mistake we as fans always make is to look back in years to come, and only then realise what we had."

The Waratahs upset the odds by beating Super Rugby leaders the Brumbies 28-22, but the game came at a huge cost to Qantas Wallabies coach Robbie Deans.

Lions skipper Sam Warburton says the lessons he and his Welsh colleagues learnt in Australia last summer will stand them in good stead for their return visit with Britain and Ireland's elite next month.

Tom Youngs has enjoyed a remarkable rise to the top of the British & Irish game but he won't be resting on his laurels ahead of his first Lions adventure.