Greig Laidlaw hopes Scotland's improved performances at the World Cup will help them get off to a quick start in the Six Nations.
The Scots came as close as any northern hemisphere nation to reaching the semi-finals of last year's tournament in England, only to go down to a controversial 35-34 defeat at the hands of eventual losing finalists Australia.
Vern Cotter's side looked set to claim a shock victory and, with it, a place in the last four until referee Craig Joubert handed the Wallabies a disputed last-gasp penalty which Bernard Foley kicked to send them through.
But the pain of watching that game again has given Scotland captain Laidlaw a renewed sense of hope ahead of their Six Nations opener, a Calcutta Cup clash with England - under new coach Eddie Jones - at Murrayfield on Saturday.
"We've got to take the good points from that game forwards as well as the lessons on why we fell short. If we can do that we will be in a good place," Laidlaw said.
"It starts in our training. We're trying to get that no-excuse mentality drilled into the squad. I think we're getting there.
"That anger from how the game finished will never disappear. I've been asked about it and it will come and go. But we can use it in the right way.
"I simply watched the tape back as a game of rugby and I got a lot out of it. We played well but we could have played even better.
"Now it's about building momentum. It's a great squad environment to be in right now and that's been built by the coaches. Those little things go a long way in my opinion."
Scotland were embarrassed in last season's tournament, failing to claim a single point as they finished bottom of the table, and they also have a history of starting slowly with no first-game wins in more than a decade.
Laidlaw added: "The Six Nations is a momentum-based tournament, so if you can win early it gives you confidence. Winning your home games is also extremely important.
"We need to grab the opportunity. It's going to be a tough game. England have got good players and a strong set-up but we know the task ahead.
"History shows a defeat in the first game is not good. It's a big game this weekend. We understand that.
"In a tournament like this you can only take one game at a time and that's what we're doing. We're completely focused for Saturday afternoon."