The final weekend of the 2023 Six Nations is upon us, with the results on Super Saturday set to impact the World Rugby rankings.
Grand Slam chasers Ireland just need a victory to secure the title when they host England in the tournament’s final match. Meanwhile, a win for France against Wales will keep their chances alive in the second fixture. The opening game of the day sees Scotland face Italy.
Planet Rugby runs through the world ranking permutations ahead of the weekend’s action.
Top spots
Ireland and France will start the Championship’s final round as they started it, at the top of the world rankings.
Wins of any margin for the pair won’t earn them any rating points due to the significant points difference between themselves and their opponents, England and Wales.
If both teams do win, Ireland will stay first and France second.
A draw for Ireland against England could be enough for them to win the tournament, and it would see them remain in top spot regardless of France’s result against Wales.
One of the scenarios that would see France move ahead of Ireland would be if Andy Farrell’s side lost to England and France won. If Farrell’s side lost by 15 or more points, Les Bleus would only require a draw to go top of the rankings.
Defeats could see Ireland or France finish the weekend as low as fourth. This would require a loss of more than 15 points for Ireland, while a defeat of any kind would see France drop below New Zealand and South Africa.
In the unlikely case that both sides cop heavy losses of more than 15 points, New Zealand would go top, South Africa second, Ireland third and France fourth.
Outside the top four
A win of over 15 points will not earn Scotland any rating points this weekend – Gregor Townsend’s side hosts Italy who are nine places and 8.14 points worse off than them.
That means even if Scotland defeats Italy, England can still climb above them in the rankings into fifth. A draw with Ireland would be enough for England to claim a top-five spot at the expense of Scotland.
🗣️ "It doesn’t mean they will ship 50 points like they did against France, but at the moment Borthwick’s men are so far off Ireland that they won’t be able to dominate any facet."
☘️🏴 Our preview of Saturday's big #GuinnessSixNations Test in Dublin. https://t.co/KSJ1XcWcIl
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) March 17, 2023
The gap between the top four and the rest means that no team can overtake New Zealand or South Africa.
In the case that Scotland loses to Italy and Wales stuns France in Paris, Scotland would tumble from fifth to ninth in the rankings if the losing margin is more than 15 points. Italy will move up four places to 10th if that happens.
The Azzurri have not been ranked in the world’s top 10 since 2013 and would only break that drought with a win of 15+ points.
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🗣️ "Both teams have shown splendid development, with the difference being Scotland getting reward for their improvement and performances where Italy have not."
🏴🇮🇹 Our preview of Saturday's #GuinnessSixNations Test at Murrayfield.
✍️ @DylanCoetzee241 https://t.co/jQG1bfMzXc
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) March 17, 2023
A win of any kind against France would only result in Wales moving up from ninth if Scotland also lose to Italy. A victory of over 15 points paired with a Scottish loss would see them climb two places into seventh.
Georgia to equal record high
Over in the Rugby Europe Championship, a win over Portugal in the final will result in Georgia moving above Samoa to a record-equalling high of 11th place. This is possible if Italy also doesn’t succeed at Murrayfield.
The Lelos will only be just over a point off the top 10 if they win by more than 15 points.
Latest World Rugby rankings (as of 17/03/2023)
1. Ireland 91.82
2. France 90.47
3. New Zealand 88.98
4. South Africa 88.97
5. Scotland 82.77
6. England 82.12
7. Australia 81.80
8. Argentina 80.72
9. Wales 78.08
10. Japan 77.39
11. Samoa 76.03
12. Georgia 75.94
13. Fiji 74.84
14. Italy 74.63
15. Tonga 71.21
16. Portugal 67.92
17. Uruguay 66.24
18. USA 65.92
19. Spain 65.45
20. Romania 64.45