Welsh success in recent years is reflected in Warren Gatland's appointment as Lions coach, in turn resulting in Rob Howley's promotion to caretaker head coach of his country while he, too, will be on that Lions management team in Australia this summer. All the more reason for Scottish players to grab opportunities to impress by winning the head-to-head battles that could end the six-year wait gap since they last beat their fellow Celts.
Already several Scots are considered to have significantly enhanced their chances during this campaign but, with just two rounds of matches to go, we may be at the tipping point.
Things can change very fast – as evidenced by the likes of John Barclay, considered one of Scotland's likeliest candidates as recently as a year ago, or Dave Denton, who was already struggling for the form that led to him being tipped for a place by many at the start of the season before injury ruled him out of this weekend's match. There also tends, in Lions years, to be a fair bit of hysteria around, as shrewder figures realise.
Indeed, when I asked Johnnie Beattie if, given the understanding that accompanies being the son of an international rugby player turned national broadcaster, he thought the way his own name was now being bandied about when he was not even being mentioned a couple of months ago was realistic or merely media hype, the response was telling. A raised eyebrow and an enigmatic smile accompanied the words: "It's been one or two games, so you can't really get carried away."
Having been around the international scene since touring South Africa in 2006, making his Test debut later that year, he then sought to place the changed perception of Scottish fortunes in context.
"We've scored tries with interceptions and those things are rare. You don't often see those things in international rugby or any level of rugby," said Beattie. "You can't count on Hoggy [Stuart Hogg] to run 80 metres every week and score tries. Italy was a well won game, but Ireland, frankly most people would say we were lucky. If you concede 80% of possession and territory in any match of rugby then statistically 98% of the time you're going to lose. We were just lucky we were in that 2% where we managed to scrape a win. Realistically, if we give that level of possession and territory to Wales we'll lose."
Yet it is not merely because the team have won a couple of games that Beattie is once more being seen as he was when he inspired Scotland's shock win in Dublin three years ago. The way he carried the ball on his return to the Test arena against England was impressive, even in defeat, while against Ireland, he learned how to get down and dirty.
"My job is generally to ball carry and when you have 20% of possession it's quite tough to carry any ball, so I was delighted to get any when I had the chance, but also trying to shore up tackles, compete for ball, jump about in the lineout and just get stuck in," he noted. "I think that was the same mentality that everyone had and that's part of the reason why we won."
Of course, touring success is as much about collaboration as about individual strengths and it has been pointed out more than once in these parts that the past 16 years of Lions under-performance has coincided with a dearth of Scottish involvement. Even before Billy Steele established what has become our sporting anthem into a Lions tour bus favourite in 1974, Scots were regarded as among the best tourists. Not that anyone seeks token involvement, but the way several Scots have improved their cases to be included in recent weeks can only be good news for Gatland and, longer term at least, Howley.
Among the forwards, a full Scottish front-row could go, with an absence of Sunday fixtures making Euan Murray all but a certainty, while Ross Ford, his fellow 2009 Lion, is rediscovering something approaching that year's form and Ryan Grant has taken manfully to his new status as vice captain.
Richie Gray may no longer be seen as a certain Test starter, but he will surely go and, as well as Beattie, the versatility, leadership and character of Kelly Brown have also brought him into the back-row reckoning.
That said, in these days of readily available replacements and shorter tours, versatility is no longer quite the asset it once was, which may mitigate against Greig Laidlaw and Sean Lamont.
Pace, finishing power and elusiveness will never go out of fashion, however, hence Scotland's back three of Tim Visser, Sean Maitland – so recently recruited from antipodean rugby – and, of course, Hogg, all have excellent chances.
Hogg, in particular, has shown maturity beyond his years from the moment he was capped against Wales a year ago when he was denied a try scoring debut only by a refereeing blunder and did so again when the subject came up this week.
"To have 14 caps already it's like, where's the last year gone? It's not a case of resting on your laurels, it's working hard and trying to be the best rugby player I can be," said Hogg. "Obviously, the Lions has been flung about in there but I concentrate on each game as it comes. I'm a great believer that what's for you won't go by you. All I'm focusing on just now is Scotland versus Wales. The Lions is a long way away."
There may, then, be an extra reward available should the Glasgow Warrior outshine opposite number Leigh Halfpenny today, but he knows his personal prospects are closely tied up with those of his team.
"You want to get one up on your opposite number, but it's Scotland versus Wales in a Six Nations match and both teams are in great places in the table, so whoever wins this is right up there as title contenders.
"Hopefully that'll be us."
Favourites
Richie Gray; Stuart Hogg; Euan Murray
Good odds
Ross Ford; Sean Maitland; Tim Visser
Backable outsiders
Johnnie Beattie; Kelly Brown
PLACE YOUR BETS
Wales and Scotland may only have an outside chance of lifting the RBS 6 Nations trophy next weekend but, as the race for British & Irish Lions places, as well as the title, intensifies, rarely has there been more at stake for both sides ahead of tomorrow's match at Murrayfield.
Welsh success in recent years is reflected in Warren Gatland's appointment as Lions coach, in turn resulting in Rob Howley's promotion to caretaker head coach of his country while he, too, will be on that Lions management team in Australia this summer. All the more reason for Scottish players to grab opportunities to impress by winning the head-to-head battles that could end the six-year wait gap since they last beat their fellow Celts.
Already several Scots are considered to have significantly enhanced their chances during this campaign but, with just two rounds of matches to go, we may be at the tipping point.
Things can change very fast – as evidenced by the likes of John Barclay, considered one of Scotland's likeliest candidates as recently as a year ago, or Dave Denton, who was already struggling for the form that led to him being tipped for a place by many at the start of the season before injury ruled him out of this weekend's match. There also tends, in Lions years, to be a fair bit of hysteria around, as shrewder figures realise.
Indeed, when I asked Johnnie Beattie if, given the understanding that accompanies being the son of an international rugby player turned national broadcaster, he thought the way his own name was now being bandied about when he was not even being mentioned a couple of months ago was realistic or merely media hype, the response was telling. A raised eyebrow and an enigmatic smile accompanied the words: "It's been one or two games, so you can't really get carried away."
Having been around the international scene since touring South Africa in 2006, making his Test debut later that year, he then sought to place the changed perception of Scottish fortunes in context.
"We've scored tries with interceptions and those things are rare. You don't often see those things in international rugby or any level of rugby," said Beattie. "You can't count on Hoggy [Stuart Hogg] to run 80 metres every week and score tries. Italy was a well won game, but Ireland, frankly most people would say we were lucky. If you concede 80% of possession and territory in any match of rugby then statistically 98% of the time you're going to lose. We were just lucky we were in that 2% where we managed to scrape a win. Realistically, if we give that level of possession and territory to Wales we'll lose."
Yet it is not merely because the team have won a couple of games that Beattie is once more being seen as he was when he inspired Scotland's shock win in Dublin three years ago. The way he carried the ball on his return to the Test arena against England was impressive, even in defeat, while against Ireland, he learned how to get down and dirty.
"My job is generally to ball carry and when you have 20% of possession it's quite tough to carry any ball, so I was delighted to get any when I had the chance, but also trying to shore up tackles, compete for ball, jump about in the lineout and just get stuck in," he noted. "I think that was the same mentality that everyone had and that's part of the reason why we won."
Of course, touring success is as much about collaboration as about individual strengths and it has been pointed out more than once in these parts that the past 16 years of Lions under-performance has coincided with a dearth of Scottish involvement. Even before Billy Steele established what has become our sporting anthem into a Lions tour bus favourite in 1974, Scots were regarded as among the best tourists. Not that anyone seeks token involvement, but the way several Scots have improved their cases to be included in recent weeks can only be good news for Gatland and, longer term at least, Howley.
Among the forwards, a full Scottish front-row could go, with an absence of Sunday fixtures making Euan Murray all but a certainty, while Ross Ford, his fellow 2009 Lion, is rediscovering something approaching that year's form and Ryan Grant has taken manfully to his new status as vice captain.
Richie Gray may no longer be seen as a certain Test starter, but he will surely go and, as well as Beattie, the versatility, leadership and character of Kelly Brown have also brought him into the back-row reckoning.
That said, in these days of readily available replacements and shorter tours, versatility is no longer quite the asset it once was, which may mitigate against Greig Laidlaw and Sean Lamont.
Pace, finishing power and elusiveness will never go out of fashion, however, hence Scotland's back three of Tim Visser, Sean Maitland – so recently recruited from antipodean rugby – and, of course, Hogg, all have excellent chances.
Hogg, in particular, has shown maturity beyond his years from the moment he was capped against Wales a year ago when he was denied a try scoring debut only by a refereeing blunder and did so again when the subject came up this week.
"To have 14 caps already it's like, where's the last year gone? It's not a case of resting on your laurels, it's working hard and trying to be the best rugby player I can be," said Hogg. "Obviously, the Lions has been flung about in there but I concentrate on each game as it comes. I'm a great believer that what's for you won't go by you. All I'm focusing on just now is Scotland versus Wales. The Lions is a long way away."
There may, then, be an extra reward available should the Glasgow Warrior outshine opposite number Leigh Halfpenny today, but he knows his personal prospects are closely tied up with those of his team.
"You want to get one up on your opposite number, but it's Scotland versus Wales in a Six Nations match and both teams are in great places in the table, so whoever wins this is right up there as title contenders.
"Hopefully that'll be us."
