Are Scotland flattering to deceive? Or is this their level?

There was a sense of painful familiarity about Scotland's closing Six Nations performance in Paris, as they fell to a 35-16 defeat by champions France for their third loss of the tournament.

They were so dangerous and so competitive for long spells, but a failure to turn pressure into points, coupled with a ropey third quarter against France's monstrous forward replacements, cost them dear.

They trailed by three points on 42 minutes but the deficit was 19 come full-time as a fourth-place finish was confirmed.

Consistently inconsistent has been a theme, with promising spells not converted into a complete 80-minute displays - and not for the first time.

Should Scotland be delivering more? Or are mid-table finishes about right given what's at their disposal?

Decisions went against Scotland throughout the championship. Pundits were taken aback when France hooker Peato Mauvaka's headbutt on Ben White was only punished with a yellow card while the hosts were 10-0 ahead in Paris.

But ultimately, the Scots didn't capitalise against Ireland, England and France when the matches were in the balance and went on to suffer three defeats.

When asked if Scotland deserved to finish higher than fourth, head coach Gregor Townsend was clear.

"No, if we don't win when we have a lot of the game, that's where we are going to finish," he said.

"It is a very tough competition. Teams can't play well every game; no-one won a Grand Slam. We are a quality side, it just didn't go our way this year."

France are the benchmark just now. A thriving domestic league, a thriving youth setup, and a thriving grassroots scene. It's night and day from the situation in Scotland.

"Look at our player participation numbers," said former Scotland forward Johnnie Beattie. "France have hundreds of thousands and we have around 20,000 adults.

"That is not something Scottish fans will want to hear but when you look at numbers, that is where we are."

We can quibble over the precise numbers, perhaps, but the thrust of Beattie's argument is unimpeachable.

No more was the difference in depth exposed than after 46 minutes of play in Paris, when France head coach Fabien Galthie turned to his bench.

Julien Marchand, Cyril Baille, Dorian Aldegheri, Emmanuel Meafou, Oscar Jegou and Anthony Jelonch were all sent on to turn the tide the home side's way.

World-class back-rower and France captain Gregory Alldritt was removed from the fray, because he can be. It worked a treat.

In contrast, Townsend left replacement prop Will Hurd on the bench and asked Zander Fagerson to play the full 80 minutes.

Of those who were introduced, Ewan Ashman is plagued by line-out throwing issues; Ewan Johnson plies his trade in France's second tier with Oyonnax; and Marshall Sykes is not a guaranteed starter for struggling Edinburgh.

The Scottish replacements left everything out on the pitch when they came on, but they are being asked to compete with a different level of player.

It was a similar tale in the defeat by Ireland. Scotland were outthought and outmuscled at Murrayfield.

Former Irish fly-half Ronan O'Gara said "it felt like a 40-point win" for Ireland that day, and he wasn't exaggerating.

When push comes to shove, Scotland are a level below the northern hemisphere's elite sides.

Because of that lack of depth, Scotland are forced to play in a manner that isn't conducive to grinding out Test match win after Test match win.

Their gameplan in Paris was clear. Keep the ball alive, take risks, play with pace and width and get their talented backline involved as much as possible.

"We played with some fantastic endeavour and were quite sharp on the ball, but we couldn't break through, get in behind and really stress them," former Scotland full-back Chris Paterson said.

"Scotland played the right way, gave ourselves the best opportunity by keeping the ball alive, playing as quick as possible. It wasn't always accurate but it's the right way to go about it."

Former Scotland prop Peter Wright echoed those thoughts: "I was pretty proud of the way Scotland played. They stuck at it, went out and tried to play the game that could have beaten France.

"They had a go, moved the ball, played with width. [Blair] Kinghorn had one of his best games. [Duhan] van der Merwe and [Darcy] Graham looked dangerous."

"[Finn] Russell will get a lot of criticism for certain things, but I thought he played pretty well and gave Scotland a chance. He varied the game enough to try and hurt the French."

Townsend's side were not fixated on playing the percentages and relying on a solid set-piece, because this Scotland team cannot do that.

They have magnificent moments in games, plays that take your breath away, but because of the high-risk strategy they rarely deliver for the duration of a match, let alone for multiple matches across a championship.

Their first-half performance was excellent at Stade de France, but they were brushed aside as legs grew tired and mistakes were punished.

Townsend's side have beaten Italy and the worst Welsh team for a generation in this tournament. That is it.

Perhaps Wright summed it up best.

"Ultimately, France are a better side," he said. "There are world-class players all over the pitch, they can bring real quality off the bench and that just adds to the tempo and physicality."