Former Scotland captain Rory Lawson says losing to Wales in the next round of the Six Nations is "incomprehensible" for Gregor Townsend's side.
The two teams both emerged from the weekend winless but the feeling around their respective campaigns has shifted, with frustration growing in Scotland after they lost out by a single point to England to effectively end their title hopes, having previously been billed as the tournament's dark horses.
While Wales have lost all of their last 15 Test matches, however, there is a renewed sense of optimism around Welsh rugby following their third round clash with Ireland, with interim head coach Matt Sherratt inspiring his side to an impressive performance against the reigning champions. After a series of rudderless performances under Warren Gatland, Wales looked confident, organised and dangerous in attack, sparking hope that they may finally be able to turn things around and get a win on the board soon.
But Lawson says he cannot comprehend the idea of that long-awaited victory coming at Murrayfield on March 8, a result which would leave Scotland with three defeats from four games. While he admitted that Sherratt had inspired change within his squad, he added that Wales replicating their most recent performance away from home is "a different story".
"Scotland must win that game and are expected to win that game against Wales," the former scrum-half told the BBC's Scotland Rugby Podcast.
"Matt Sherratt's changed the narrative, he's changed the mindset of not only the Welsh team but the Welsh public. But it's a different story when you lift that Welsh team up and take them out of Cardiff.
"I think, for Scotland, they have to exert what they would view as being this cohesion, this togetherness, this understanding of what it takes to win big test matches at Murrayfield. I think they've got to get into Wales and it is incomprehensible to think of Scotland being one from four after the Wales game."
After seeing Scotland's run of victories in the Calcutta Cup come to an end in dramatic - and controversial - style on Saturday, Lawson said it is important that Townsend's team harness their frustration to deliver a "ruthless, punchy" performance against Sherratt's men.
"Scotland have to take all the frustration of Allianz Stadium from the weekend and say 'We're going to be ruthless. When we get the chance in the red zone, we're going to be patient, but we're going to be punchy and we're going to take our opportunities when they come'," said the 43-year-old.
"Scotland have to go into this game looking to deliver a result that takes us on the road to Paris with some element of hope of grabbing something from this championship, albeit only two wins from four after that Wales game, hopefully."
