The Wallabies have been warned their season-opening clash with the Barbarians will be anything but a free-wheeling festival frolic.

In years past, fixtures involving the Barbarians - effectively an invitational World XV - have been more a celebration of running rugby than a full-blown international.

That all changed last November when the Wallabies and Barbarians engaged in a brutal affair at London's famous Wembley Stadium where, evidently, winning the so-called "exhibition" at all costs had suddenly become the priority.

Far from trying to entertain, Springboks star Francois Steyn was condemned afterwards for resorting to a succession of long-range penalty and drop goal attempts in a performance defying the true spirit of the Baa Baas.

But former All Blacks halfback Justin Marshall on Wednesday said the Barbarians would be making no apologies for taking a similarly deadly serious approach into Saturday week's historic clash with the Wallabies at the Sydney Football Stadium.

"It's a huge game for us. It's a real privilege to come to Australia and play Australia in Australia but, predominately for us, we want to come there and win," Marshall said ahead of the Baa Baas' first-ever appearance in Australia.

"We don't want to play sevens where the opposition are able to combat everything that we do.

"So I'd be foolish to say that we're going to come there and be absolutely ridiculous and be entertainers and then get pumped by 40 points.

"What we're coming to do is win."

With the Barbarians - featuring Australian trio Phil Waugh, Rocky Elsom and Chris Whitaker along with a stack of All Blacks and World Cup-winning Springboks - boasting almost 900 Test caps between them, Marshall hoped the side's class would inevitably produce some stylish, crowd-pleasing rugby.

He said it was the perfect stage for some players deemed to be past their used-by dates at international level to state their cases for a Test recall.

"From the Barbarians' perspective, not only do we want to come there and win, but we want to come back (to Test rugby)," he said.

"It would be fantastic to play New Zealand in New Zealand and maybe these types of games are something that the public will really get behind as well.

"There's the opportunity for the Australian public this year to see the Barbarians; playing Australia in the modern day is something that they don't see very often.

"It's not something they're used to. It's like a British Lions tour. It's a very good team of talented players coming to play and playing to win and I'd like to think that if we can come there and play well and capture the imagination of everybody in the southern hemisphere that it can continue to happen."

Speaking from experience, Marshall said Waugh, Elsom and Whitaker would relish the chance to play against their national team.

"I got to come over (to Britain in 2002) and play against the All Blacks and I tell you it's one of the fondest memories I have in the game," he said.

"Standing there watching the All Blacks do the haka and playing for the Barbarians against my national side was an experience that I'll never forget."

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