Thom Evans: Greig Laidlaw could be key to Andy Robinson's Scotland toppling Welsh at the Millennium But Scotland have to dwell on the positives - just as we did in 2010, when we had also lost the opening game of the championship. There's absolutely nothing wrong with their overall style of play, it's only their finishing that's letting them down. They've had these slumps in the past, but it's funny how the tries start to flow once the first one has been scored. I don't know whether they're putting too much pressure on themselves. If so, I'm surprised that Richard Cox, the sports psychologist who had been working with the team over the past few seasons, is no longer part of the backroom team. I would never underestimate the importance of a sports psychologist, and on a personal level I found Richard a great help. It's also a worry that Scotland have now lost Dan Parks, to my mind the greatest on-field motivator ever. Dan may have divided opinions among the fans, but anyone who played alongside him, as I did on many occasions, would tell you what a great guy he was to have as a team-mate. His confidence before games was incredible, and his encouragement was vital at times. He was also a superb organiser for Scotland. I'm convinced that he won us games with that ability alone. On top of which, I've never seen a better kicker from hand anywhere. I rate him as the best fly-half I ever played with. But now the mantle passes to Greig Laidlaw, starting his first test after three appearances off the bench. Greig is a very different kind of player to Dan and he thrives in broken play. The Millennium Stadium is a daunting environment for even the most experienced players in the game, so he'll need a level head there, especially as it's less than a year since he first started to switch from scrum-half to the playmaker role. But one thing Greig definitely has is confidence. Courage, too. I played with him on the international sevens circuit a few times and although he's not the biggest guy in the world he wasn't afraid to get stuck in. That bravery will be important against Wales, who have a fast and physical backline. They also have some pretty robust loose forwards who will have him in their sights. Greig brought a bit of spark when he came on against England last weekend, although it was at a stage of the game when Scotland had to open things out to have any chance of winning. He played pretty much the same kind of game as he has been playing for Edinburgh, where he is the spark who ignites most of their best moves. Whatever the circumstances of Dan's going, Greig thoroughly deserves this start. Of course, Wales won't be lacking any confidence themselves right now. They had to come from behind to snatch their win against Ireland, but they did it with style and hard-nosed purpose, and I don't think anyone could say that it wasn't deserved. After their performances at the World Cup, Wales already had built up a head of steam coming into the championship. They've unearthed a crop of young players who are the envy of every other rugby nation on earth. And while they have power and pace, they can also conjure the little touches of finesse that make the critical difference. At least two of their tries against Ireland relied on sublime offloads, the kind of magical touches that Scotland couldn't produce against England. I know the Scottish players were hugely frustrated by that last weekend. But as Andy Robinson is fond of saying, the great thing about rugby is that every game starts at nil-nil, so they have the opportunity to redeem themselves. It's time to put the frustration to good use.