EVERY fan has the right to feel upbeat and confident at the start of the Six Nations championship, but this year I really do feel there are a lot of reasons to be cheerful about Scotland's prospects in the competition.
Vern Cotter got the team playing an exciting and effective brand of rugby in the autumn Tests. They were ambitious in what they were trying to do and bold in how they did it. The players all worked for each other and they were rewarded with some good tries.
Selection-wise, there are no surprises in the team to play France and no great controversies either. Vern's options were clearly limited by injuries to players like Adam Ashe, Dave Denton and Sean Maitland, and given the way the players played in November the side just about picked itself.
It's great that Rob Harley and Stuart Hogg have both been given a clean bill of health. We've not seen a lot of Hogg recently and I'd bet he's just itching to have a run at the opposition today. Hogg can make things happen, while Harley's talents are at the other end of the creative spectrum. Harley is in there to disrupt the French at the breakdown as much he can.
Looking forward, I'd still like to see John Barclay get back in there for the games ahead. He's been outstanding for Scarlets this season, and I also think Kelly Brown deserves another look. I can understand Vern wanting to put his own stamp on the team, but those two guys are perfectly capable of playing the kind of rugby the coach wants.
The big thing for me this weekend is what the forwards can do. If they can get close to parity with the French then they will make it clear that Scotland are not just there to make up numbers. That can plant seeds of doubt in French minds, and that's when they start to be vulnerable.
One of the most heartening things about the autumn games was they way Scotland were restored as a lineout force. That part of their game had gone off the boil over the past couple of seasons, but they were close to perfect against Argentina, New Zealand and Tonga.
That's the kind of platform you need against a top-notch nation like France. Being secure on your own ball is the foundation of winning rugby. If Scotland are as good on the touchlines as they were in those November games then they know they have a set of backs who can cause problems for the French.
Mark Bennett certainly has a real cutting edge and I'm not surprised that Vern was so keen to get him back in. We still haven't seen a great deal of Bennett at this level, but he seems to have the self-belief he needs and he certainly has the skills. He has magic feet, and those alone have given him an edge over Matt Scott and Peter Horne.
Tim Visser has also been impressive recently. He lost most of last season to injury, but he's back and firing and scoring tries, which is certainly good to see. Tommy Seymour has a precious ability to carve out chances too.
I hope the Gray brothers take another stride as a world-class lock partnership. Richie was magnificent in this fixture four years ago, but Jonny is catching up fast. Jonny's performances in autumn, when he was running those lineouts, showed astonishing maturity for a 20-year-old.
As always against France, getting a good start and staying in the game is important. Scotland must not let things run away from them. They are up against a very good French side, but they have no reason to be overawed.
The key is to do the basics well, keep the error count low, and don't make life easy for France. Philippe Saint-Andre has picked the best side possible - which hasn't always been the case during his time in charge - but I'm convinced that Scotland can rattle them.
So I'm generally optimistic. You don't get harder starts to the championship than an away trip to Paris, but then no game gives you a bigger boost if you do well.
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