But while most believe the Brumbies' historic win over the Lions in Canberra earlier this week did the Wallabies a favour, Mowen fears his club's triumph will spark a vicious reaction in the first Test.

The Wallabies will begin one of rugby union's great battles when they take on the Lions - the best players from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland - at Suncorp Stadium.

The Lions tour once every 12 years and are still smarting after losing an absorbing series 2-1 to the Wallabies in 2001.

Mowen - the man who has led a revival at the Brumbies and guided them into the finals for the first time since 2004 - will make his international debut in a series which can make or break careers and put players into rugby folklore.

But on the eve of the biggest moment of his career, Mowen admitted the hype, excitement and the task ahead had not hit the squad.

''Each day we get more and more of an inkling of how big it is,'' Mowen said. ''This is a dream come true for guys, there aren't going to be any easy moments in this series. I've always dreamt of playing for Australia. To get there is massive, but now we've got to get a result.''

Mowen sat in the Wallabies team hotel to watch the Brumbies lay the blueprint for success against the Lions with a heart-stopping 14-12 win at Canberra Stadium on Tuesday night.

The 21,000-strong crowd erupted as the Brumbies became the first Australian provincial team to beat the Lions in 42 years and the win sparked wild celebrations from the players.

It was a moment many believe will halt the Lions' momentum and break their confidence, much like the Brumbies did 12 years ago.

A raw Brumbies side belted the tourists in 2001 only to suffer heartbreak after the siren when the Lions stole a 30-28 win.

But the performance stirred the Wallabies camp - which boasted Brumbies greats George Gregan, Stephen Larkham, Joe Roff and Owen Finegan - and they bounced back from a first Test loss to win the series 2-1.

Champion five-eighth and Brumbies assistant Larkham said the ACT exposed the Lions' weaknesses.

''This first Test is dangerous, the build up is similar [to 2001],'' Larkham said.

''These series come down to a couple of individual performances in massive moments … momentum shifts, lucky breaks.

''But there's a lot more hype around this series than there was 12 years ago … this time I think everyone realises how special it is.''

Larkham and Gregan won World Cups, Bledisloe Cups, Tri Nations and a Lions series as a five-eighth-halfback combination. ''We knew they were beatable [in 2001] … we knew we were playing against a special team and I feel lucky to have been a part of that,'' Gregan said.

''Losing to the Brumbies this week will be a bend in the road, but the Lions will narrow their focus now.''

Wallabies 1991 World Cup-winning captain Nick Farr-Jones said losing to the Lions 24 years ago was the one regret of his career.

''The further you get away from it, particularly when you've got a big tour going on at the moment and it becomes topical, yeah, it shits me,'' Farr-Jones said.

''When the Lions come down, you get one roll of the dice. And if I've got any damn regrets about the game looking back, it's that we didn't beat the bastards.''