Warren Gatland believes that we are yet to see the best of his Wales side © Getty Images

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Wales boss Warren Gatland has sounded a warning to their rivals by declaring that there is far more to come from his improving side.

Wales kick off their bid for back-to-back Six Nations titles with a trip to face Scotland at Murrayfield on February 8, and Gatland believes that we may have only seen part of his side's potential in November's win over the Wallabies.

"There is a lot of upside in this team yet," he said. "We think there is a 20-25% improvement physically and in terms of intensity over the next two or three years, so it is really exciting. When you have a small playing base, to compete against the best teams in the world, physically we've got to be as good - or better than - the southern hemisphere teams.

"It's learning to play and train at a higher intensity, and having the opportunity to play against the best teams in the world. The Welsh Rugby Union has been very aggressive in targeting to play the southern hemisphere teams on a regular basis."

Gatland is also keen for his players to embrace their tag as favourites for the title and use it to their advantage in terms of their confidence.

"The tag of favourites is something you can't hide away from. We've got to address it and accept it," he said. "We are Six Nations champions and teams are going to be gunning for us. We would like to think that gives us some confidence and self-belief.

"We feel we are one of the best teams in the northern hemisphere, and the challenge for us is not to run away from it, but to embrace it. If we want to be considered one of the best teams in the world, there is going to be an expectation on us to perform from game to game and tournament to tournament.

"The last 12 months has been about getting some pride and respect back into the jersey - that was the number one goal for all of us, and I think we've achieved that. We wanted to give the fans something to cheer about. There is a huge amount of expectation on us, and the fans deserve a Welsh team that goes out there and plays with pride."

Wales will be hoping for a double success in their opening games against Scotland and England, with a poor start likely to spell the end of their Six Nations ambitions. "We want to be as consistent as we can and keep building from what we've achieved over the last 12 months," said Gatland. "It is a tournament of momentum. You win one or two games, and you can build on that - you lose one or two, and people start talking about the wooden spoon.

"You've got to really hit the ground running. It's about making sure you have done the preparation and are ready to go from day one. If you win that first game, you get a bit of confidence and momentum."

Gatland is also well aware of Wales' poor record at Murrayfield, and is full of praise for the improvements shown by Scotland since the last Six Nations. "We've already talked about Scotland as being a potential banana skin," he said. "I think some Welsh teams in the past have perhaps gone up to Scotland and there has been an expectation to get a result, but they have come back with their tails between their legs.

"We know, mentally and psychologically, the first game is massive. Scotland have made a lot of progress in the last 12 months. They played really well against South Africa in November, so it is going to be a very tough encounter."