Italy arrived at Murrayfield with their tails up after last weekend’s thrilling victory over France in Rome and in search of a third straight RBS 6 Nations win, having defeated the Scots in their final game of last year’s competition.

Scotland on the other hand were bidding to bounce back from a hefty defeat to England at Twickenham – and that’s exactly what they did with tries from Tim Visser, Matt Scott, Stuart Hogg and Sean Lamont helping them to a 34-10 victory.

Italy, who were far less fluid than in Rome six days previous, only had a Luciano Orquera penalty and a late Alessandro Zanni try to show for their efforts.

And while Brunel conceded that the wind had been knocked out of his side’s sails somewhat, he was adamant that they would be firing on all cylinders when they host Wales in two weeks’ time.

“I think that's the price we pay to keep on growing,” said Brunel. “We certainly paid a high price.

“The Scots defended really well and there were many issues with our speed and defence throughout the game as well.

"We played in such an individual way, now we have two weeks to try to understand and come back for the Wales game.”