A LIONS year is always an exciting year.

2017 could prove to be a great year for Scottish rugby

Like the Rugby World Cup, Lions tours only come around once every four years and for any player in the Home Unions, selection for the British and Irish Lions is the ultimate accolade.

It adds an extra dimension to the Six Nations Championship because, not only is national honour at stake, so is selection for one of the most-famous teams in the world.

2017 promises to be an intriguing year in rugby and Scotland are well placed going into the New Year. Scottish representation on the most recent Lions tours has not been good.

Only Richie Gray spent time on the field in a test match – when he came on as a replacement on the last tour – prior to that, there have been very few Scots in the starting Lions line-up.

This year should be very different, however. Although much will depend on how Scotland fare in the Six Nations.

Taken in isolation, Scotland could have at least six players in the Lions squad with a minimum of two pressing hard for test selection, yet they have to perform in the upcoming Championship.

The opening match at Murrayfield against Ireland is key and could define the Scots campaign. Win, and they have momentum going to Paris to face the French.

Lose and they will be on the back foot for the rest of the tournament.

Ireland will come to Murrayfield full of confidence. Having defeated the All Blacks in Chicago, the Irish will fear no-one, least of all the Scottish players, many of whom they know well from the Pro12 where the Irish provinces are riding high.

The game will be a huge one for Scotland and the home team cannot afford to be slow starters as they were last year.

England will be favourites to retain the Six Nations trophy however, although they face a tricky trip to Dublin to close the competition.

As a consequence, the bulk of the Lions party is likely to be made up of Englishmen, despite the coach knowing the Welsh well and having favoured many of his own last time around.

Warren Gatland will have to cast his net wider this year, not least because I expect the Scots to make a compelling case for selection to New Zealand.

Domestically, Glasgow have a huge hill to climb to achieve a fourth consecutive Pro12 Final, although they are well placed in European competition.

Should they qualify for the quarter-finals, which is not out of the question, only a fool would bet against them progressing further, especially in Gregor Townsend’s last season with the club.

Edinburgh on the other hand will have to hope that their transfer to Myreside will signal a change in fortunes for the beleaguered and inconsistent team.

There is much to play for in 2017 and it has the potential to be a great year for Scottish rugby.