ROB HARLEY was not shaken on Sunday, just stirred.

The latest gallant defeat for Scotland left Vern Cotter's team joint bottom of the RBS 6 Nations table, tied with next opponents Italy on zero points.

With it came a host of regrets, disappointment and angst at where victory was snatched away.

Yet the Glasgow Warriors man is not comfortable considering the past. He is much more content contemplating how he and his Scotland team-mates can put things right.

Despite scoring two tries, the Scots were unable to add to that amount despite going close on several occasions while also racking up 13 penalties during the 80 minutes.

But Harley appears unconcerned. He said: "We have had two defeats but by small margins. We can look at the reasons why we lost, but we also have to take the positives out of some of the ways we attacked, the pressure we put on in the driving maul and when we got going in the finish zone we were ramping up the pressure and really squeezing them on the line.

"If that is something we can maintain for an 80-minute performance then we are going to challenge any team in the world."

It is a big claim from a team that sits bottom of the table with no points, but self-belief is a commodity that flows through many in this Scotland team like discarded shopping trolleys doon the Clyde.

Seven of the starting XV on Sunday can call themselves Warriors, both literally and metaphorically, having played their part in Glasgow's rise to prominence in the Guinness PRO12.

And it will clearly take more than two defeats in the space of a week to knock Harley off his steadfast course to success.

He said: "It is about the tightness of the squad, us all supporting each other, talking within the team, and not just looking at it as wins and losses.

"It is about the structures of how we play, everything we do we break down and that way you can take the positives and the negatives in a more focused manner.

"You can look at your strengths, look at your weaknesses rather than just saying 'we lost that game' or 'we won that game'.

"We say things like 'the lineout is really good' but 'we need to improve the scrum'. We also have a point of view on how we can improve."

The channels of communication appear to be one avenue which is being explored by Vern Cotter in building a sustainable Scotland team that can continue to not only improve but improve from within.

Part of that, of course, comes from Cotter himself. Since taking over the role as head coach last May, the New Zealander has swept an air of vitality into the Scotland camp.

That freshness could be seen both in Paris and in Edinburgh, despite the shortcomings which were evident in both matches.

Harley is aware of them, as he is about the influence of the 53-year-old who leads them.

"It is hard to pinpoint any one thing," said the Warriors flanker when asked what difference Cotter has made.

"I think the guys have the confidence playing with each other, we have the belief to trust each other to go out and feel in any game we can beat the opposition in front of us.

"It gives a belief, to try things, play our game. At times, mistakes will happen, but we always try to play to our very limits, push our limits further than we have been, so that means we are going to constantly improve because we are always challenging ourselves."