THERE was a lot to like in the way Scotland played France last weekend.

The basics of their game were sound, and a huge improvement on their performances in last year's Six Nations. They were passionate in their approach and precise in their execution. There were a lot of plus marks in that performance.

But they still lost. There's only so much praise you can shower on a side that has come out on the wrong end of the scoreline. The making of a good team is in beating the big boys of world rugby and a win against Wales today would be a massive stride forward for Vern Cotter's side. If it is to happen, these are a few areas that they have to get right.

SET-PIECE: You can drop off in some areas of a game, but not here. Scrums and line-outs are the rugby fundamentals, and if you can get your opponents in the set-piece you will probably get them on the scoreboard as well. The Scottish line-out was a shambles in last year's championship, but it is back up to scratch, and a lot of credit for that should go to Jonny Gray - and to Al Kellock, his mentor at Glasgow.

By contrast, the Wales line-out and scrum have both looked pretty shaky recently. Against England, they turned over their own ball at the set-piece six times, a staggering total at this level of the game.

A good set-piece dictates how you play and where you play. In recent years the Scotland forwards have been happy to achieve parity there, but I think they have it in them to bully the Welsh today. I would love to see them have a real good go at the Wales tight five.

BREAKDOWN: The first two phases after the set-piece set the pace of a move. If you can dominate there, get quick ball and momentum, you have your opponents on the rack. But it also makes your kicking game far easier because it is a lot easier to kick when you are on the front foot and not under pressure.

We have to be more accurate at the breakdown than we were against France. We have a great set of midfield backs in Finn Russell, Mark Bennett and Alex Dunbar, and if they can attack the gain-line with quick ball then they will ask questions of the Welsh defence. We also have to disrupt Wales in that area. The Welsh centres are big units and we cannot allow them to get up a head of steam.

DEFENCE: Again, Scotland looked pretty strong in this area last weekend. That came from the commitment of the players, the willingness to get stuck into tackles. I think defence coach Matt Taylor has got the tactics right in wanting to get opponents on the deck as quickly as possible. If you can get the big Welsh midfield backs on the floor quickly you can compete for the ball. Glasgow have that urgency in the tackle and Scotland have clearly taken it on board too.

The trick in defence is to have players on their feet and filling the field. With that, you can get good line speed as well. It is important against a side like Wales to get up on them quickly, get in their faces and disrupt. If Wales get momentum and space they will hurt you, but they are a straightforward side and there is not a lot of subtlety in the way they move forward.

ATTACK: This is probably the area where there is most room for improvement. They got one lovely try against France, but they rarely got close after that. Cotter is obviously tapping into the way Glasgow play the game and asking different questions of their opponents.

I would like to see Tim Visser used more in attack. He was quiet last week, but he is such a big man and a big threat that, even as a decoy runner, teams cannot afford to ignore him. He should be frightening other teams more and we have to get him into the game more. The same goes for Johnnie Beattie, who can drift out of things too easily.

In Paris, I think we looked sharp in midfield and it was great to see Stuart Hogg back at his best. Russell also has a good running game and offers a threat down the narrow channels.

DISCIPLINE: You will always give up penalties. Even the best sides do. But double-digit penalty counts have become the norm for Scotland, and those numbers are just too high. We saw what France did with their chances last weekend.

Silly penalties are unacceptable. There were some crazy things last week, with Dougie Fife throwing the ball away and Richie Gray rushing in from the side at a ruck. Wales were in trouble for much of their game against England but they kept their penalty count below 10. That's where ours should be too.