Scotland boss Townsend demands no Six Nations let-up against Wales
Townsend's men launched their campaign with a dramatic 29-23 win away to England last week as they recorded a third successive Calcutta Cup victory over their oldest rivals.
The former Scotland fly-half has made just one change to his starting XV, recalling fit-again prop Zander Fagerson after more than two months out with a hamstring injury in place of WP Nel.
"We actually delayed the (internal) team announcement because we had a few selections that we had to sleep on," said Townsend after announcing his matchday 23 on Thursday.
"I believe they've earned the right to get a second opportunity to build on that win but the performance wasn't at our best level."
Scotland last recorded wins in the opening two rounds of the tournament in 1996 - when the Championship was still the Five Nations.
They have lost narrowly to Wales - hammered 34-10 by Ireland in Cardiff last weekend - on the second week in each of the past two years.
"We have to improve from what we did last week because in large parts of that game, we weren't at our best," Townsend said. "I saw better performances in Argentina in the summer and in our games in November.
"The good thing was we took our opportunities and we showed resilience into that final quarter and that makes us tough to beat. But we're not at our potential, and that's what we're striving towards."
In contrast to Scotland's settled line-up, Wales coach Warren Gatland has made five changes and a positional switch after the defeat against top-ranked Ireland.
Townsend remains wary of the Welsh threat.
"We know Wales are a quality side and they're as motivated as ever to get a win after starting with a defeat," he said.
"These players they've brought in are players in form. They've either played well off the bench at the weekend or played very well for their clubs this year.
"The threats they have through their ball-carrying, their speed, and what they do over the ball is something we have to be very aware of. It (the number of changes) means they've got strength in depth.
"They've picked a team that is going to come after us. It's a positive selection from their point of view, bringing in younger players who want to drive the team forward."
