Greig Laidlaw 'a great Scotland skipper' says Ross Ford

Ross Ford believes Greig Laidlaw can claim to be among Scotland's greatest ever rugby captains.

The Gloucester scrum-half collects his 50th cap on Sunday when the Scots welcome France to Murrayfield. The 30-year-old will also draw level with David Sole's record of 25 starts as skipper.

However, unlike Sole or Gavin Hastings who were both part of the Grand Slam side in 1990, Scotland have rarely been close to any major silverware during Laidlaw's time in charge.

His reign as captain has produced just 10 wins and coincided with the nation's worst Championship run since 1955, with only last month's victory in Rome sparing a 10th straight defeat in the Six Nations.

But Ford said: "Greig's achievement this weekend speaks volumes about him.

"That's the thing about Greig, he drives everything by his own standards. He demands a lot of himself.

"He doesn't need to say much but he's always asking for more from the boys and leads by example.

"He's coming more and more into the role and has developed it.

"He's a smart rugby player and is able to put his point across well to the group. One to one he's also good, so he's really grown into the responsibility of being captain.

"He's more confident speaking to the group now. He's very sure about himself. I wouldn't say he was nervous before but it's a funny thing coming into a new group of boys.

"Now he's been around them for a long time he has developed with that as you normally do.

"He's now an outstanding captain, a natural leader. His attributes are right up there with Scotland's greatest captains.

"Silverware is something Greig wants and it's something us as a group are working to give him."

However, Scotland have not beaten Les Bleus since 2006 but Ford is upbeat about their chances: "This is a big opportunity.

"It is in our control but we need to make sure we are not complacent.

"Greig has made sure early on this week that while beating Italy was great, we still haven't achieved much in this tournament.

"All the focus is on France. We know what they bring and we need to make sure our performance levels are right up there again like they were against Italy.

"We will need that in spades if we are to get a result. France have got a very big pack. They are huge boys who run hard. But the size they are does allow them to throw the ball around.

"They've got the highest number of successful off-loads in the tournament. They are going to try to move the ball about, so our defence needs to be switched on."