As a result, Sean Wainui and Quinn Tupaea have been given midfield starts. Tupaea had recovered from a hamstring injury while regular mid-fielder Anton Lienert-Brown needed to pass a fitness test after taking a knee knock last week. As a result, McMillan said they wanted to give those who would start the best possible preparation during the week.
Shaun Stevenson starts in place of Jonah Lowe on the wing, while Chase Tiatia is on the bench after recovering from a concussion. Also back in the 23 is All Blacks halfback Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi.
In the pack, the 2.02m, 20-year-old, Josh Lord will make his debut at lock with Naitoa Ah Kuoi coming off the bench. Tighthead prop Angus Ta'avao will start with Sione Mafileo to come off the bench. Samipeni Finau's non-selection was a reflection of the need to maintain a youth-experience balance.
Mitchell Brown is at blindside flank while Kaylum Boshier is on the bench as loose forward cover.
Backing the retention of Bryn Gatland at first five-eighths, McMillan said it would have been unfair to judge his performance last week on the second half.
"We could have gone into halftime last week at 27-3, and nobody would probably have taken too much notice, and would have expected Bryn to play this week.
"We've got a lot of faith in him, he did a lot of good stuff last week, and he deserves an opportunity to lead the team around the park this week," he said.
McMillan was also happy with the way Damian McKenzie had performed at fullback and had shown his ability when slipping into first five-eighths in the latter stages of the game.
"We wanted to be consistent in our selections, and I think the balance of the squad reflects that, but [we are] also mindful that we need to be turning over a few other blokes that are sitting in the wings waiting for their opportunity.
"That was always our plan over the first three or four weeks of the competition, and nothing really will change that," he said.
McMillan was impressed with what he saw from Lord in the pre-season. He had a taste of playing the Crusaders in pre-season play.
"He doesn't seemed like a young fellow who's too overwhelmed by the people that he's marking. So, it's a great opportunity for him," he said.
Certainty was what the Chiefs would be seeking after their loss to the Highlanders and that came down to individuals fulfilling their tasks at all times.
They were well of the challenge ahead of them given the way winning seemed to be part of the Crusaders' DNA.
They were a tough team to counter due to their ability to throw new players into situations and come through with the result.
Other teams had enjoyed moments against the Crusaders, and the Crusaders would have worked on that which didn't make life any easier for the Chiefs. What opponents had learned was those moments of mediocrity cost chances of wins.
"We really need to drive a mentality of everybody nailing their detail throughout our training week and then seeing that manifest into a quality performance that we can be proud of," he said.