Fielding Brendan Laney at fly-half was, in my opinion, a chronic misjudgement from a positional point of view, but playing him with an injury was almost criminal. Scotland have tried to do that before but you never get away with selecting unfit players.

There were big changes made to the backs after the defeat to Ireland and when you compare the combination that played against South Africa in the autumn to that which was overrun by France, it was like chalk and cheese. I find it bizarre that in such a short space of time the thinking on Ian McGeechan's part should be so different.

The players must take collective responsibility for their first two results, but the most worrying thing about the defeat in Paris was the French had a lot more to offer. They were probably playing in second or third gear, and I don't think they will be happy with the way they performed.

It was so important for Scotland to get off to a good start in the 2003 RBS 6 Nations - a more compact tournament than in previous years - and the question is where do they go from here? McGeechan has made more changes for the game with Wales at Murrayfield and the line-up will be different again.

But even if the side did need altered, I think it was a serious mistake to drop Scott Murray from the original squad. He has certainly been performing below his potential, and I could perhaps understand leaving him on the bench, but Nathan Hines is not as good a player or competitor. If Wales start clearing out our line-out, we would have suffered from not having someone like Murray at least among the substitutes. It is a relief that he is now included in the starting line-up.

Wales will be far more positive after the way they played against England and I just don't believe Scotland can justify having the same level of confidence. Our tight five have to produce a monumental performance and I want to see the forwards doing the grunt work and really grafting - making big tackles, working hard in nasty areas and getting in amongst the Welsh. When you've got a backline like Scotland's which lacks pace and invention, you have to think about winning the game in other areas.

Above all, I hope the players are hurting. I was with the Scots in Paris and at Murrayfield for the Ireland game, and the disappointment among the fans was tangible. I don't know if the players have appreciated that, and they need to show what it means to them to wear the Scottish jersey.

You can read more of David's views on this season's RBS 6 Nations in his column for The Sunday Post.