Wales won back-to-back Six Nations Championships for the first time since 1979 in March and sixteen Welshmen followed that up by being part of the 2013 winning British and Irish Lions squad.
After arriving back in Wales following the eight week tour of Australia, Howley praised the Welsh players who made the trip down-under and believes the victory will provide a physiological boost against southern hemisphere sides.
“From a Welsh perspective, we have been there so many times and been so close and yet so far away,” he said.
“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.
“All of them have been outstanding.
“A lot of the players went on the tour enhanced their reputations.
“You have seen this group of players come through over the last three or four years. The one thing we are very fortunate is they are a very young group of players.
“They have been together with us for a long time but I’m sure there’s another four or five years in them. That’s an exciting prospect for us in Wales and I think we can build on it.”
