They will consider the claims of Declan Kidney, Warren Gatland, Andy Robinson and others, but McGeechan has become so synonymous with the Lions that, until he retires conclusively to his potting shed, he must be the prime contender for the post in 2013.
Aided by the wise counsel of manager Gerald Davies, McGeechan helped restore a sense of what the Lions are about – togetherness, mucking in, coping with hardship and having fun. It also means playing with verve, spirit, intelligence and resilience.
That these principles and standards are of the utmost importance to the Lions can be seen from the way in which they have taken greater control of the whole process. Davies is now chairman of the Lions, switching roles with Irvine. What McGeechan and his coaching and playing team brought to the party in South Africa, that sense of rising to the challenge, constitutes the essence of the Lions.
McGeechan got it right off the field – share rooms, train together, travel together, party together and, as a consequence, came so close to getting it right on the field. Of course, it ought to be possible for others to fill that role. However he has the advantage of being out of the front-line.
Gatland, Robinson, Kidney and Johnson are all wedded to the moment, defined by their team's current record. Last time around, Eddie O'Sullivan looked a certainty to take the Lions to South Africa. Then came Ireland's disastrous World Cup campaign. Goodnight, Eddie.
But a Lions coach has to be more than just a sharp operator in a tracksuit. He has to be a leader of men as well as a shaper of game plans. He has to make players not only believe in themselves but also in each other. Remember that in a tour party of 35 there will be 13 disgruntled blokes every time a side is named.
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