Gray was the target of some robust tackles by the French in Paris

By Richie Gray The Scotland lock reflects on his Six Nations experience in France

Saturday morning in Paris.

The game was at 6pm in the Stade de France so I got up mid-morning. It's important to take some fuel early on, so as I was in the culinary capital of the world...I had two bowls of Coco Pops.

Our nutritionist Richard Chessor allows us such sugar treats on match days given the amount of energy we'll expend on the park.

I'm a player who prefers late kick-offs; that way I can have a relaxing day as opposed to waking up and in no time having to get on the team bus.

I watched a movie - Get Him to the Greek - and then the Xbox, either Fifa or Call of Duty.

It's quite a change from watching the Six Nations as a kid. I would play for my school in the morning, get a chippy for sustenance and then watch the Scotland match on the TV, or possibly jump on the bus to Murrayfield.

It wasn't until I was about 15 that I thought that I could be one of those players representing Scotland.

Gray admitted to a touch of nerves as the anthems were being sung

We boarded the team bus mid-afternoon and made our way to the stadium. There was the usual police escort and it was entertaining to watch the soap opera that is Paris traffic unfold.

The bus arrived at an underground car park. I went out onto the pitch before the warm-up; it's a fantastic, beautifully designed stadium. We had trained there the day before but it was fascinating to watch the crowd arrive and the atmosphere build from the pitch.

This was my first Six Nations start. It is quite simply one of the best competitions in the world. It's fair to say that I had a few butterflies as we came out for the anthems but I was quietly confident.

Many people have said that the game was quick: I wasn't surprised but my lungs were - it was really knackering. Both teams mounted wave after wave after wave of attack.

The French execution on Saturday was phenomenal. We were always chasing the game. Just when we thought we had a sniff they would keep the scoreboard ticking over.

I got into the game early, which is always positive for a player. I'm constantly trying to improve my game so it was good to make a positive contribution.

There were positives and negatives in our performance in Paris. We weren't happy with the set-piece and that's a collective responsibility. We were happy with scoring three tries in Paris. It was a really tough game but it was also an enjoyable one.

In the evening there was the usual post-match dinner - fillet of beef and a jazz band. I gave the foie gras a body swerve.

Now it's Wales this weekend. We have to take the positives from France and use them against Warren Gatland's side. We need to keep the ball and play with the same confidence in attack. I'm confident we can win.

Richie Gray was talking to BBC Scotland's Jim Mason. He will be contributing diary pieces throughout the Six Nations.

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