WE know that Warren Gatland will be head coach of the British and Irish Lions on their tour to New Zealand next summer, and we know that Gregor Townsend will not be one of his assistants. Once the coaching team is confirmed next Wednesday - with Rob Howley, Niall Jenkins, Andy Farrell and Steve Borthwick all expected to be included - attention will turn in earnest to an altogether more fascinating topic: which players will be selected to take on the toughest challenge in world rugby and try to beat the All Blacks in their own backyard.

When it comes to Scottish representation, speculation has not been overly optimistic. That is partly based on the past record - there have been no more than three Scots in the original squad on each of the past four tours - and partly on the fear that Gatland, Wales’s head coach, will select a large number of his own players.

Ask Kenny Logan how many players we will get in the squad, however, and you come away feeling altogether more hopeful. His infectious enthusiasm no doubt has something to do with that, but the former Scotland winger also mounts a persuasive argument - one, moreover, perhaps based on a little insider knowledge.

One connection is that Logan Sports Marketing, the firm set up by the man himself during his playing days, includes among its clients Ernst & Young, who are one of the business partners of the Lions. Another, more relevant connection is the fact that Logan was a player with Wasps when Gatland coached there, and the two still meet - most recently, just last week.

Gatland has hundreds of conversations every week, of course, and Logan would not pretend he is privy to any secrets about the specific composition of the squad. But he is fairly certain of the type of player the head coach wants on the plane to New Zealand, and he is convinced that the Scotland squad contains more than a few who fit the bill.

Having watched Vern Cotter’s team maintain their recent progress over the three Autumn Tests, Logan concurs with the general view that Stuart Hogg and Jonny Gray are our two leading contenders, with WP Nel also in the mix. But he also thinks there is a serious opportunity for Finn Russell to stake a claim, and believes the stand-off has exactly the right kind of creative touch that Gatland will need if he is to get the better of the All Blacks.

“Finn is a bit of a wildcard to take, but he’s a game-changer,” Logan says when we meet in Edinburgh - he is based in London but has been in Scotland all week to help with the launch of STEP, an educational initiative close to his heart. “He’s a good character. He’s got a real good chance.

“I was with Gats last week and he wants players that can change games, who are consistent. When it comes to Finn, a lot depends on the Six Nations. When you’ve got a Scotland team that are doing well, and your 10 is running it, you’ve got to look at him.

“I’d definitely have Jonny Gray there, and WP Nel. I think the whole of Scotland’s back three could go - Stuart Hogg, Tommy Seymour and Sean Maitland. I’m a great fan of Seymour, and Hoggy is in the team because he’s a game-changer. I think there will be five or six Scots in the squad.”

The comment about Russell needing a good Six Nations, of course, applies equally to every player, and to their teams. Logan expects Scotland to thrive in the Six Nations, but thinks that another title for England will set up the Lions best for the New Zealand series.

“For a successful Lions tour, I hate to say it, but England need to win the Six Nations. England and Ireland are the only teams who can beat the All Blacks. We’ve never done it, but those two teams have, and the English boys probably know they could play the All Blacks tomorrow and beat them or give them a proper run for their money. And Ireland have done it.

“We need to be sitting in third position. I think Scotland will have a great Six Nations. But you’ve got to get off to a good start - if you don’t win your first game, it’s really tough.

“Ireland [Scotland’s first opponents] won’t be easy, but the Scottish boys play them every week in the PRO12 and they know they can beat them. We can beat Ireland. We are a bloody good rugby team. Scotland are not in the top seven in the world now for no reason - they’re consistent.”

One of the reasons behind that consistency, Logan believes, is the shrewd coaching of Townsend, whose Glasgow Warriors squad makes up the bulk of the national team. “You need to build leaders within the team. If you get the leaders in the team driving your team, that’s a success.

“Hence why Glasgow are doing well, because Gregor’s all about that - building leaders within teams. Ian McGeechan was also about that too - make the team take the decisions, and you as a coach harness it.

“When a team starts to lose its shape, that’s when you coach. Geech was great at that, and that’s why he was successful with the Lions and with Scotland.

“I think that’s the key to success nowadays. There can be great coaches out there who are maybe not great at building leadership, but Gregor is. I’ve always said he would be a great coach. Vern Cotter has done a fantastic job, but he’s got the whole of the Glasgow team, who are one of the best teams in Europe.”

With 70 Scotland caps to his name, Logan had a distinguished playing career, but he underachieved at school and is sure he was only at his best as a player for his last three or four years, after he went public about his dyslexia. Hence his interest in STEP, and its physical literacy programme - exercises are performed twice a day for ten minutes - which has been shown to help children not only improve their physical and emotional health, but also get better academically. A successful programme has already been carried out in the United States, followed by a pilot study in England; now the aim is to get cross-party support for another pilot in Scotland.

“I’m heavily involved in STEP, and trying to close the attainment gap [between the richest and the poorest children]. I’m a small shareholder in it. We’re all passionate about helping children and trying to make a difference.

“It’s a physical literacy programme that’s all about physical improvement that stimulates the brain. The stats are quite amazing. They spent two years doing a pilot programme and actually proving it works. In the States it’s really motoring.

“What we’re saying is let’s trial it here. Within 18 months you’ll see a huge impact.”

More information: www.steptoday.com.