Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw believes that his side can’t let their minds be clouded by history as they look to break a two-decade drought when they take on France in Paris.
The Scots haven’t emerged from the French capital victorious since 1999, when a Gregor Townsend-inspired outfit ran out 36-22 winners.
But Laidlaw says that Scotland must concentrate on their own game if they are to record a famous victory and notch a second win of this year’s Guinness Six Nations.
“Firstly, we’re really excited to go; we’ve trained really well all week,” he said.
“It’s about the confidence now that we have in the team to go and produce a performance. There’s a lot of good things in our last match against Ireland.
“We just need to be clinical for 80 minutes, put France under pressure when we hold the ball and defensively just make sure that we’re rock solid.”
Laidlaw possesses unique insight heading into the Round 3 curtain-raiser: the Scotland skipper is well-acquainted with several of France’s starters given his domestic rugby allegiances to Clermont Auvergne.
It’s a position that he coyly suggested might provide him a slight advantage, but the 33-year-old insisted that the French threat is clear for all to see.
“Individually we’ve been through France’s team and I think that’s where their strength is,” he said.
“I think individual runners and players – Damian Penaud’s very dangerous from the back – so it’s important that we don’t give them any time and space from loose kicks.
“We’re prepared for that, so when we do kick we need to kick nice and accurately and make sure we back it up with our chase as well.”
