We need to fine tune, not make wholesale improvements, says Fraser Brown

Instead, he believes a few minor tweaks could put Scotland back on the path to victory when Warren Gatland's Grand Slam hopefuls visit Murrayfield on Saturday.

The Glasgow forward said: "If you lose two games in a row, it's very easy to paint the picture in the media that there is something wrong and that you've lost that winning habit.

"It's not as complicated as that. It's tiny little things in each game. We went in against France at half-time 10-3 down and had had opportunities to score there.

"These are the tiny little moments that can sway a game.

"The tiny percentages – not being 20 per cent off the mark – but three or four moments is where a game is won or lost.

"So the focus is not on stopping the rot or avoiding losing three games on the bounce. The focus is on getting the aspects of our game back up to where they should be.

"It's those tiny little moments in games which can change the whole outcome."

Scotland have welcomed key men Hamish Watson, WP Nel and Sam Skinner back from injury this week, although there was fresh frustration for Townsend with the news that Sean Maitland and Chris Harris have become the latest additions to his lengthy casualty list.

But Brown is refusing to allow the latest withdrawals to dampen his mood, insisting it is up to those coming in to raise their standards and drive Scotland on.

"Injuries aren't an excuse for us," he said. "You can lose players during a game at any time, but you can't dwell on that.

"When you come into the Scotland squad you have to be at the very best of your abilities. You have to be performing well above what you do week in, week out for your club.

"It's a tough learning curve as you can do not much wrong in a game but make just one or two mistakes and these are the things that can end up costing you a result.

"That's tough but it's the level of rugby we're operating at.

"So injuries are never an excuse for us. The expectation is that the guys within the group drive the standards then they perform."

Brown knows a quick scan of the history books will suggest his side are in for another tough afternoon against a Wales team looking to take another step towards their first clean sweep since 2012.

But the front-rower is refusing to write off Scotland's chances.

He said: "They've not lost in 12 games. We've beaten them once in 10 years so they're a difficult side and we've struggled against them.

"Wales are on a high, they're on a great run and will be full of confidence. They'll have extra confidence because they don't often lose to Scotland, so they'll be coming here thinking if they can control the tempo and then the field position they'll have a good shot of winning again.

"On the flip side, we know if we can match them physically, win the battle around the breakdown, if we can manage the game better than we did in the last couple of matches then we're good enough to win any match."

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