The former Bay of Plenty No 8 will lead the squad – which includes Bryn Gatland, son of Lions head coach Warren – in the first match of the Lions ten-game Tour.
Sam Warburton will captain the side as part of an all-Welsh back row in front of what is expected to a 20,000 sell out at Toll Stadium in Whangarei.
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“I’ll tell them to enjoy the moment,” McMillan said. “I’ll tell them it’s an occasion that will throw up future stars and their challenge is to be one of those.
“It’s a game with nothing riding on it for us, so we have to have a crack; to try things out of the box without fear of persecution later.
“We have to give the Lions a good old-fashioned welcome to New Zealand, a bit of a ‘tickle-up’, because it’s only going to get bigger, badder, faster and more organised for them after us.”
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The NZ Provincial Barbarians have had a week together to prepare for the Lions, who completed two weeks of training in the UK before arriving in New Zealand.
Last training done now autographs before #BARvBIL tomorrow! #LionsNZ2017 🇳🇿🦁 pic.twitter.com/x0lAtrj8ft
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) June 2, 2017
But McMillan is confident the squad, a mix of semi-pros and professionals, have come together well and have all bought into the Barbarians methods which he has tried to promote.
“We’re going to keep things simple, have a crack, and stay true to the Barbarians style. We don’t want to play a game that’s comfortable for the Lions,” he added.
“We want to get the crowd excited and within our camp we feel we’re in with a runner’s chance. Provincial sides have beaten the Lions in the past.
“We recognise it’s going to be a hard game but we have plenty to play for and the boys can’t wait to get out there.”
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