Apart from domestic, European and international titles, the battle for World Cup ranking points and all the other issues at stake, there is an extra pressure on the leading players this season with Lions places at stake. Yesterday, Ian McGeechan, the former Scotland coach who will be picking the squad to travel to South Africa next summer, revealed that already he has been back in Edinburgh discussing what players from his home country might make his final group.

He intends to announce a long-leet of 60 in January, though he stressed that anybody showing up well in the Six Nations could still be added, and will then wait at long as he can, certainly past the Heineken Cup quarter-finals, before whittling it down to the squad of “about 35” that he will take.

“I was up last week talking to Frank [Hadden, the Scotland coach] and one or two others,” he revealed. “The key thing is getting an insight into the players who, whatever the context of where they are playing, can make an impact with the Lions.

“To do that, I have to have very meaningful conversations with the people involved with them week-in, week-out and that is what I will be doing. I will not be predetermining selection on reputation or on not knowing some players as well as I know the others.”

As part of that process of investigation - the biggest headache for Lions selectors is always spotting the good players who happen to be in poor teams - he intends to keep a careful watch on this season’s Heineken Cup.

“If you aspire to be a Lion then you don’t accept poor performances of yourself. The first real challenge is the Heineken Cup, then there are the autumn Tests, then the Heineken Cup again and then I will be publishing a list of about 60 saying that that these are the players in the frame. It will be flexible, but will be an indication of the players in form who will be the core of the selection and I want to get them in on a noninternational weekend to talk to them and do some preliminary administration.”