But the Scotland boss, who has ensured some stability with his training sessions through the season, maintains the team will improve dramatically as they become more accustomed to each other.

‘‘I have always believed that teams do grow together and a lot of the players have gained a lot of experience in the last 10 months or so in different aspects of their play and understanding,’’ said McGeechan.

‘‘In the end that understanding and ability to work with each other is a vital factor and I’d like to think we are getting pretty close to that and improving all the time.

‘‘It is essential that they can react collectively, rather than individually, under pressure.

‘‘There was a lot of discussion last week just looking at the squad. But the important thing was to look at the performance in Paris individually and collectively and see what we could build on in the strongest way.

‘‘They did a lot of things well and the continuity and understanding is key to moving our performance on.’’

McGeechan insists the need for continuity after the defeat in Paris means that players such as Glasgow Caledonians star James Craig must wait their turn.

The 23-year-old wing has made just one international appearance and will sit on the replacements’ bench for the visit of the Welsh to Murrayfield.

But despite his excellent form in the Welsh/Scottish League, McGeechan is preferring to keep the youngster under wraps.

He said: ‘‘It has been very important getting him involved again. His form with Glasgow has been very consistent and he offers us something different.

‘‘But I wanted to make sure that, where his own preparations are concerned, we would do it in the best possible way and I think this is the right way round.

‘‘It is fair to say that James is fitter now than he has ever been. There is a consistency about his game which is vital. In that respect we can see his game is getting stronger all the time.’’