Scotland will look to run the legs off France as they bid to overturn the form book and claim their first win of this season's RBS 6 Nations Championship on Sunday.

Andy Robinson outlined his basic gameplan yesterday as he explained the changes that have given his side a much more balanced look to the back-line while injecting additional pace into the back-row.

The ankle injury that ruled out Max Evans reduced the options available to Robinson but presumbably simplified the selection process when it came to reshuffling the back-line since it made it relatively easy to shift Rory and Sean Lamont to the wing and outside centre respectively with Stuart Hogg coming in at full-back.

The teenager's performances for Scotland A in the crushing defeat of England and then as a replacement against Wales last week, demanded his inclusion from the start and the hope is that he can play a major part in applying the finishing touch that Scotland's hard work has deserved.

The extended experiment of fielding Sean Lamont at inside centre having returned only limited results the return of Graeme Morrison was also a requirement.

There remains a lack of finesse in that department, as recognised by the way that Robinson indicated that he is closely monitoring the development of Matt Scott, the Edinburgh youngster who, having played most of his rugby at stand-off, plays inside centre like a Southern Hemisphere-style second five eighth.

However he is not yet deemed ready, so while there is the look of something of a blunt instrument to the Morrison/Lamont combination, the latter is more familiar with having the No.13 on his back and the pair certainly possess the combined physical presence to take the game to France.

"All Sean's experience at Scarlets has been playing at 13," Robinson noted. "He's got to be comfortable playing there and he's got to want to play there. When we played him at 12 he hadn't played there. He'd played all his rugby for Scarlets at 13.

"I feel in the way we're trying to play it's important that we're able to keep the ball through many phases. We believe that if we can keep the ball in play and play multi-phases against France we can test them and test their fitness.

"One of the elements that will be key to that is that the referee doesn't allow France to slow the game down. With Sean Lamont carrying the way that he's carried, with Richie Gray, Ross Ford and bringing in Graeme Morrison, as well, it means we'll be able to keep the ball for many phases and then it's about being able to take the chances that we create.

"We're the leading passing team in the tournament so far, we've been the leading off-loading team, we want to play with quick ball and that's key to us. It's developing that ability under pressure to be able to pass the ball. We work on strategies to achieve that and it's not just about Morrison and Lamont to do that and it's up to other players in our back-line to come up and achieve that, i.e. Stuart is someone we would love to see do that."

All of which is plausible stuff and if evidence is required of Scottish teams' capacity to challenge the French it was offered in spectacular style the last time teams from these two countries met at the national stadium in the best game played there this season when Edinburgh shocked Racing Metro with one of the greatest comebacks in Heineken Cup history.

With the memory of that match still fresh, it makes it all the more interesting that the third play-making combination Scotland have tried in this championship and the seventh change in the seven competitive matches this season is the Edinburgh captain Greig Laidlaw joining his clubmate Mike Blair in the side.

The vastly experienced scrum-half, who made his Test debut a decade ago, has won 77 caps, but also holds a national record of 35 appearances off the bench, will be eager to seize his chance to realign the pecking order after the coach indicated that, long term, he still regards Cusiter as the best of his No.9s.

Robinson also said he had been comfortable with the way Cusiter had adapted to how Laidlaw likes to play at stand-off. However the reality is that the instinctive manner in which he and Blair have learned to interchange positions should help maintain the sort of tempo that has been identified as key to taking the French to breaking point and, Scotland hope, beyond.

The same applies to Barclay's reintroduction and, while the Glasgow Warrior who was formerly an automatic selection at openside, has been looking to improve his ball carrying and thereby his versatility, he will be asked to play to his natural strengths by winning and securing breakdown ball.

None of which can deflect from the need to get the basics right if Scotland are to have any chance at all.

"The area where you get severely tested by France is at the scrum and lineout," Robinson acknowledged.

"You are tested on your own ball and on their ball. That's going to be a key battleground for us this week, our ability to secure our own possession and our ability to stop France getting any momentum because they destroyed us in the scrum last year. I think that's the right word to use . . . getting a penalty try, they completely dominated us there last year.

"That's because we scrummaged as individuals. Also lineout-wise the maul is an area where France will go if they are not able to get their game going." That, in turn, explains why, in Euan Murray's absence, Jim Hamilton's bulk is again preferred in the second row to Al Kellock, who captained Scotland at the World Cup.

ANALYSIS Hogg, Morrison and Blair come into back-line as coach says he wants his players to run at France. Kevin Ferrie reports