"I'm excited about the tour next year," said McBride, who toured five times as a player with the Lions, captaining them on their unbeaten tour of South Africa in 1974.
"From what I've seen so far this year, I think there's a lot of very good, exciting young players around.
"Ian McGeechan is a guy I know and have travelled with and so is Gerald Davies. They've got nothing to learn about the whole thing and I just hope they can get the right team together to go out there."
That faith in McGeechan and Davies was echoed by Guscott and Williams, who both feel the Lions have the right men in charge when it comes to trying to topple the world champion Springboks in their own backyard.
"I've been on Lions tours with Gerald Davies and Ian McGeechan and I think we can trust them to get it right," said Williams, a member of two successful and historic tours in 1971 and '74.
"They were great players and Ian's gone on to be a great coach and Gerald a great administrator so they should uphold the traditions of the Lions."
"What people are beginning to realise is that Ian McGeechan is brilliant with players," added Guscott, the man who kicked the Lions to victory the last time they toured South Africa 11 years ago.
"You're not a rugby player - you're a man, you're a person. Ian's selected you because he believes in you and he really makes you believe that, whether you're 80% likely to be in the Test team or you're 10% likely to be in the Test team.
"Every player he talks to believes he's being told the truth, which he is, and that he stands a chance of playing in that Test team. That is McGeechan's magic."
