Wallaby flanker Ben Mowen says team can get much better ahead of second Test against British and Irish Lions

WE can get better. Much better. That's the simple message of encouragement from Wallaby flanker Ben Mowen ahead of the second Test against the Lions.

Ben Mowen

WE can get better. Much better.

That's the simple message of encouragement from flanker Ben Mowen about the Wallabies' chances of overcoming a huge injury toll and squaring up the series with the Lions at Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

It would be hard for Mowen to find huge room for improvement on a personal front, however, after the Brumbies skipper turned in a superb performance on debut in Brisbane.

The late-blooming Test no.6 was a powerhouse at the breakdown, made a handful of strong tackles and looked anything but a man playing in his first international match.

Mowen said the scope for improvement as a team was huge ahead of the second Test, given most of the Wallabies' planning and training had been done against a notional opponent on a screen.

"We can't wait. We will play tomorrow if they let us," Mowen said.

"The good thing for us too is we can go away and look at our structures under game intensity, which we hadn't had up to this stage.

"We have a lot, lot more in us. The big thing now is we get to have a look at their defence on our structures, rather than trying to predict what they might or might not do. That'll be a good point for us to start tomorrow."

Question marks about the Wallabies being underdone after three weeks in camp were answered, believes Mowen.

"The running definitely wasn't a problem for us," he said.

"The guys were well conditioned but we didn't get to have a look at our structures under fatigue. That's where a lot of our big gains can be made.

"It helps to have a reference point, and that's what we have now."

The Lions were upset about the Wallabies strength at the breakdown, and the strict rulings of referee Chris Pollock.

Mowen said that was an area Australia had to dominate in Melbourne.

"I definitely think that's an area of strength for us. We have to make sure we have to take it to the next level, because we have seen the sides are pretty even," he said.

"When we go back and look at that game, there will be areas we are really happy with but we will see a lot of improvement."