The battle may be for second place after England hit the ground at full speed in Cardiff two weeks ago but there will be no lack of intensity at Murrayfield today where Lions coaches past and present are looking to restore their reputations.

Ian McGeechan, who was in charge of the Lions in 1989, 1993 and 1997, has enjoyed limited success since returning from Northampton to coach Scotland 18 months ago: three victories in 11 matches (only one in the championship) may be a reflection of the strife which has embroiled Scottish rugby in recent years but questions have been asked of the coach.

Graham Henry, who will coach the Lions in Australia this summer, knows the feeling. Wales have lost six of their last 11 internationals and the New Zealander has come under sustained fire for the first time since his arrival 30 months ago.

His tactics, selection policy and coaching methods have all been questioned after a sequence of Wales performances which have betrayed an alarming lack of thought. Wales have looked inflexible, slavishly sticking to a gameplan even when a match is slipping away from them.

Henry maintains he has given his players a broad canvas and it is up to them which colours to apply, but Wales always go on about how they are putting things right on the training field: it means they are susceptible to the unexpected. One area where Henry has struggled is adapting to the fact Welsh players do not have the intuitive grasp of the game's rudiments his native New Zealanders possess.

The problem is not one of experience, with eight of the Wales side having won at least 25 caps, but they have become inured to defeat and, in odd-numbered years, when the home and away fixtures are always the same, they have fared particularly badly. In those years they have won only five of their last 25 championship matches, two of them in 1999, and 1979 was the last odd year they boasted a record better than 50 per cent.

Henry has still not overcome the loss of his conditioning coach Steve Black last March. Black resigned when his methods were criticised after Wales' capitulation at Twickenham and Henry lost the one member of his management team who could lighten the tensest of moments.

McGeechan is not on Henry's emotional rollercoaster but more was expected of Scotland when he returned from England. Even so they will be favourites today, given Wales' poor recent record at Murrayfield - one victory in their last seven visits. But the Scots are nervy enough not to say who will be kicking at goal - Kenny Logan or Duncan Hodge.

"Ian McGeechan and Jim Telfer have been the leading coaches in the Northern Hemisphere in the last 20 years," said Henry. "They have not always had the greatest of resources but they have always made the most of them and the number of Scots who have been successful with the Lions in those years bears testament to that."

Finlay Calder, the Lions captain in 1989, has been a vociferous critic of Henry, saying he was the wrong choice for this summer's tour of Australia, a sentiment McGeechan does not share.

"Graham Henry has become part of the Six Nations," said McGeechan. "He appreciates its traditions and understands what it means to players, coaches and supporters. Out of it all comes the Lions and, having had a number of conversations with him, I think he was the ideal candidate for Australia."

Henry was forced to reshuffle his side yesterday when the full-back Stephen Jones withdrew with a back injury. Cardiff's Rhys Williams has taken his place with Pontypridd's outhalf Lee Jarvis coming on to the bench instead of Gareth Thomas to cover for Neil Jenkins positionally and as a goalkicker.

Scotland will be looking to move the heavier Wales forwards around the field but they lacked ideas against France in Paris and, for all their possession, rarely looked like scoring a try without Gregor Townsend, who departed early on with a knee injury.

But for the presence of Italy, today would have the hallmark of a woodenspoon decider, between two sides who are not living up to their coaches.

Scotland should shade it because of home advantage but it is a match which is more likely to be thrown away than won.