Lions 2013: James Horwill's tears encapsulates the roller coaster emotions experienced by Australia's captain It was one of the defining images of the day. He had barely regained his composure. "I'm hoping not to think about that (appeal)," Horwill said, after he had gathered himself following the final whistle. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, if I come to it. The measure of Horwill's importance to Robbie Deans" side is just about incalculable. However, a close inspection of Saturday's game will, perhaps, provide the answer. Twenty minutes before kick-off, and with the Australian Rugby Union having warned the Sky Sports commentator Miles Harrison to gloss over the previous Saturday's incident, Horwill spoke about what facing the Lions means to him. He touched on the enormity of the occasion, the consequence of defeat and the deep-seated desire of his proud nation. He spoke with balance and thought. Shortly after 11am the on-field camera caught the captain in full voice. Gripping his team-mates with force, he pumped out the final strains of Advance Australia Fare before one final call to arms. His words were indelibly etched in the minds of the Wallabies who followed their leader through 80 minutes of genuine pain. Wearing his heart on his golden sleeve, the giant lock was impeccable. His contribution at scrum and line out was matched by his intervention at ruck and maul. In 2001, it was the iconic figure of John Eales who leapt in the line out and shoved in the scrum. After the Lions had demolished the Wallabies in Brisbane, the player known as "nobody" because "nobody's perfect" led the world champions to a 2-1 series win with victories in Melbourne and Sydney. Twelve years on, Horwill shoulders the same responsibility and having produced a performance that was nothing short of exemplary, the emotion of victory came flooding out when Leigh Halfpenny left his injury time penalty short and wide. With hands on knees and a bloodied scrum cap in his hand, Horwill wept like a baby. Exhausted from 80 minutes of honest endeavour, he spent a moment on his own before rejoining his fellow warriors to enjoy the feeling of success. "We just knew what we had to do," Horwill said of the scrum, which Australia coach Robbie Deans said he had been "screaming for" from the coach's box. I felt that we had to build pressure and I felt that that was the time to take that opportunity and try to put pressure on them down there. Although British and Irish rugby will breathe a sigh of relief if the IRB delivers a guilty verdict, the absence of Horwill from next Saturday's last hurrah would be detrimental to an occasion that will keep the roller coaster of emotion in overdrive.