Page 24 - Barbarians v The Lions

Football Club blows out 80 birthday candles this this year and and this this match is is is the the the centrepiece of the the the celebrations McMillan’s charges dined at at at the the the Eden Park clubrooms last Saturday before travelling north to to Whangarei By the the the time they they run out tonight they they will know exactly for for what and for for whom they are playing “One of our strengths is that no no one knows anything about us ” McMillan says “Some assumptions can be made that that this Barbarians team will play with the free-spirited nature that that most Barbarians teams play with with We have to balance that that with with the the fact that that we’re playing the the British & Irish Lions and we’ll have to be be smart about how we we we do it it ” It hasn’t been a a a a a a a a week of loading the the the players’ minds but rather making them feel at at at ease with the the the the hype and able to express themselves at at Toll Stadium “We’d be heading down the the wrong route
“We’d be heading down the wrong route
if we we cluttered the the week We’ll expect the the boys to play on instinct with a a bit of structure ” if we we tried to to to clutter the the week and pressure them to to to to digest too much We’ll expect the the boys to to to play on instinct with a a a a bit of of structure ” McMillan says It is of of course about more than just the rugby tonight There has been regular community engagement for the the Provincial Barbarians Whangarei hosted the 1993 Lions tour opener Before coaching McMillan racked up over 100 games for for Bay of Plenty
– while juggling duties as a a a a a policeman
when the tourists edged North North Auckland 30-17 The Northland rugby public thus welcome the the Lions for the the rst time in 24 years so McMillan is well aware that interest will be through the roof McMillan has vague memories of of the the the 1983 and 1993 Lions tours “But the most recent one (2005) is vivid for a a a a a number of reasons ” he he says “I was fortunate enough to to watch the Test in in Wellington when Dan Carter had that 10 10 out of 10 10 performance (scoring
33 points) I I had gone to Japan
the previous year and I I I was back
on holiday I I also showed a a a a a a a a lot of interest in in in in the the opening game when the the Lions played Bay of of Plenty
in in in in Rotorua Unfortunately I wasn’t part of of it but the BOP boys did very well ” On that occasion Bay of Plenty
threw everything at at at the the tourists before falling 34-20 but one could argue that the the the opening 20-minute salvo from the the Lions 24 // OFFICIAL SOUVENIR PROGRAMME