IT may have been a defeat but this was a really encouraging display by Scotland.

They looked like a side that are not just playing for a coach who gives them clear and simple messages, but are also playing for each other and for the jersey.

You would never want to accuse an international side of lacking passion but there is no doubt that this team under Vern Cotter as head coach have taken passion back to a level we have not seen for several years. There is a good attitude and a good bond between the players and they all seem to understand what they are meant to do.

In the end, they will have to look back at that and see it as one that got away, but that does not mean there were no positive signs to pick up on. Scotland played well and France were there for the taking. The Scots had a lot of pressure and were solid in the set piece, for once, so they had opportunities though they did cough up ball too often when chances were on. It is not a question of age, most these players win regularly playing for successful club sides but they do need a little more composure.

A lot of people, particularly I suspect in France, will try to say that it was simply a case of a dysfunctional French side failing to perform when it mattered but the fact is that the reason they did not play better was because Scotland did not let them. The line speed in defence was impressive and though Scotland missed a few first-up tackles, their scramble defence was superb and made sure the try line was kept clear for the entire 80 minutes.

The result was that France were struggling for shape and ideas and started to kick the ball away, which was good for Scotland if frustrating for their own fans. All the Scottish forwards worked really hard with Jonny Gray and Blair Cowan particularly impressive if only for their work rate and determination. The whole pack got through a power of work during the match but those two were tireless.

There are a couple of areas that need to be worked on to turn this kind of performance into wins. The first is the breakdown where Scotland gave away too many penalties and sometimes struggled for the fluency they need to play the high tempo game they aspire to. The other is the tendency to make sloppy mistakes like having kicks charged down or missing touch - there were a couple of examples of both.

When it comes to individuals, there is a lot of promise in this side. The young midfield is one to savour and when you think that Matt Scott has still to come back into contention after missing all the November games and then dropping out of the squad for this one, there is something to build on.

Mark Bennett may be only 22 but he was one of the outstanding players on the field while Alex Dunbar and Finn Russell both had excellent games. What I like about Russell, in particular, is that he is so confident, nothing seems to faze him, a quality that all the best 10s in rugby have always had to have. He had another cracking game here.

Hogg at full back was back to his dangerous best, so that between them all there were a few dummies thrown and guys were going through holes. With a little more composure in the red zone they might have had one or two more tries.

It meant that in the end it all came down to power and penalties and I do wonder if Scotland are being unfairly tagged as a side for referees to watch. There were a few decisions that could have gone either way and ended out going to the home side.

The next stage is head back to Murrayfield eight days later and raise the level against Wales; after recent results between the countries Scotland must be determined to put on a show against them. They will be a little deflated now but they have an extra day to build their spirits back up and dowse the Dragons' fire.