Martyn Williams will extend his record of Six Nations appearances for Wales to 50 on Friday when he takes his place in the back row against France, but the three-times Lion admitted he feared being dropped after receiving a dressing-down from Warren Gatland for his performance against Scotland.

The Wales coach has said he is looking for a marked improvement from the entire back row, which has been tweaked to compensate for the absence of Andy Powell, who was thrown out of the squad after being charged with drink-driving, and Gatland has had a private chat with Williams, Ryan Jones and Jonathan Thomas about what is expected from them.

"I was poor against Scotland in the first half and I was not happy with my performance," Williams said. "I thought I had gone quite well against England, not that you are ever in a good mood when you come off the field having lost. Some days you give everything and it does not happen for you, which was the case against Scotland.

"I feared I would be dropped and was glad to get the call saying I was playing. I was criticised after November and I am grateful to be reaching a milestone. Warren called the back-rowers in on Monday and said he did not think we went well as a unit against Scotland. We have to take that on the chin and ensure we put things right on Friday. We know there are several areas we need to improve on against France and we have a fairly good record against them in the last five years."

Wales have defeated France only once in the championship in Cardiff since 1996 and their defeat in Paris last year not only ended a run of eight Six Nations victories but led to a decline in form marked by only one win in their next four games, an unconvincing five-point success in Rome.

"We have not reached the heights since that night in Paris," said Williams, who nearly won the match in the final minute only to be hauled down just short of the line by François Trinh-Duc. "A Lions tour takes a lot out of you and we have suffered a few injuries, but we have not been as consistent as we need to be. It is a big game for both sides."

France have had to reshuffle their side with three players pulling out with injuries, including Fulgence Ouedraogo in the back row. "Julien Bonnaire is replacing him and he is top quality," Williams said. "It will alter their dynamics, taking away a bit of pace but adding to their lineout. We just have to put pressure on them and ensure that our defence, which has underpinned our best performances in the last two years, is back to where it should be."

• This article was amended on 8 March 2010. The original stated that Wales have defeated France only once in the championship since 1996. This has been corrected.