Odds on: Will McGeechan be part of the Lions tour party that heads to Australia in 2013? © Getty Images

Ian McGeechan’s knighthood is just reward for a life dedicated to the sport and unlike that handed down to his English counterpart Clive Woodward in 2003, few will question the legitimacy of the honour. McGeechan is held in such high regard throughout the rugby-playing globe having achieved so much and inspired greatness from so many.

McGeechan shared the headlines with a host of figures from all walks of life including thespian Patrick Stewart, bra tycoon Michelle Mone and rockers Status Quo. You would struggle to conjure a more colourful combo but all offer a parallel of sorts to the rugby legend.

Like McGeechan, Stewart was born in Yorkshire and their recognition will no doubt be a source of pride for the region. McGeechan began his playing career with the Headingley club in Leeds, juggling his on-field exploits with his job as a school teacher before earning international honours with first Scotland and then the British & Irish Lions.

He would go on to win 32 caps for Scotland but it was his relationship, or perhaps love affair, with the Lions that forged his reputation as one of the great players and coaches. He first toured with them as a player to South Africa in 1974 as part of the Invincibles side that went 22 matches unbeaten - including a series triumph over the Springboks.

He toured with them once more, to New Zealand in 1977, but would have to wait until the start of his coaching career to taste success with the elite tourists once again. A step up to the international coaching ranks had come in 1986 and success as part of the Lions’ management team in 1989 in Australia was followed by a Five Nations Championship Grand Slam with Scotland in 1990.

A stint with English club Northampton followed as did another trip to New Zealand with the Lions in 1993 but it would be in South Africa in 1997 that he would cement his place amongst the greats, steering the tourists to an historic series triumph.

He would return to the Lions set-up in 2005, having parted company with the Scottish Rugby Union, working as an assistant to Clive Woodward on the ill-fated trip to New Zealand. McGeechan was in charge of the unbeaten midweek team but disagreed with the way Woodward ditched many of the Lions traditions. The tour damaged the credibility of the Lions and the future of the tourists was suddenly in doubt.

The Lions were in desperate need of support, and something more substantial than that offered by Mone’s Ultimo brand, and as a result it was no surprise that management pin-pointed McGeechan, by now working as London Wasps' director of rugby, as the man to resurrect their battered reputation.

A man-manager par excellence, McGeechan ensured a return to traditional tour values as head coach on this year’s tour to South Africa and although his side failed to match the successes of ’74 and ’97 they won a far more important battle off the field, in the hearts and minds.

An honour such as a knighthood, like a lifetime achievement award, suggests the recipient’s days of industry are over but even at 63-years-old, McGeechan’s appetite for the game is as strong as ever - "My passion for rugby and for sporting excellence remains undimmed," he defiantly declared on confirmation of his honour. Messrs Parfitt and Rossi and the latest incarnation of the Quo may well have been named the hardest working band in 2009 but they have got nothing on McGeechan. The meticulous McGeechan will have burnt the midnight oil in his quest to beat the Boks and has hardly eased up since his return with an extensive promotional campaign for his autobiography.

And although he has hinted that he will not coach the Lions again, McGeechan has already been lined up as a consultant to the Six Nations Committee as preparations begin for trip to Australia in 2013 and if he makes a swift return to rugby’s frontline in 2010, do not be surprised if he is boarding a plane Down Under.