Wales v Australia: Mike Phillips insists late defeats are in the past

Wales' Mike Phillips

Scrum-half Mike Phillips says Wales have put behind them a run of three successive last-gasp defeats to Australia ahead of Saturday's clash.

Warren Gatland's men face the Wallabies in Cardiff having let leads slip in each of their last three meetings.

They lost to late penalties in Melbourne and Sydney in June 2012, while Kurtley Beale's try clinched a 14-12 Australia win six months later.

"It is sport and you have to put these things behind you," Phillips said.

"We have done that and and hopefully we have learned from those experiences, those games and those big moments.

"It's a fresh game and we can go out with confidence and put things right.

"It's about fine margins, accuracy and playing for the full 80, and keeping the concentration levels. It's as simple as that.

"It is the little things at international level that make all the difference."

Wales have not beaten the Wallabies since 2008, losing eight games in a row, with half of those defeats by three points or fewer.

But Warren Gatland's side made up the bulk of the British and Irish Lions team who recorded a 2-1 Test series win against the Wallabies in the summer.

Phillips featured in all three Tests for the Lions, and has played a significant part in Wales's autumn Tests - scoring in the 40-6 win over Argentina - amid a turbulent period in his club career.

The 31-year-old was dismissed by Bayonne in October after being accused of turning up drunk at a video analysis session. Phillips has said he intends to take legal action against the French club.

Despite having been a part of the Lions success, Phillips dismisses the idea that it will have any bearing on Saturday.

"We are a totally different team, different set-up and different environment," said Phillips.

"We are in Wales now - it's the Millennium Stadium on Saturday and all the Welsh boys are concentrating on ourselves.

"We just cannot wait to get out there in front of a packed house and we want to finish on a high. Hopefully, we will give Wales a day to remember."

Wales have won three Six Nations titles, two Grand Slams and reached a World Cup semi-final under coach Gatland - but he has guided them to only one victory over Australia.