RANKINGS PERMUTATIONS: If Ireland win this weekend, Wales' time at the top will be over

While Wales are now the number one ranked team in world rugby, in a few days time that could all change again as Ireland now have the opportunity to also make history, as they themselves could leapfrog Wales if they beat England this coming weekend.

With Wales and New Zealand both having a rest week, a win for the Irish on Saturday will see them move from third place to first.

If Ireland could go to number one it will be their first time ever, joining Wales, New Zealand, South Africa and England as the only teams to ever grace the top spot on the official World Rugby Rankings.

An Ireland win will also mean that New Zealand will drop to third, with Wales shifting to second.

For England, who is currently in fifth place behind South Africa, third place is within their reach.

On the same day, Scotland and France will dispute seventh place as Murrayfield prepares to house a capacity crowd for the 15th consecutive international.

RUGBY WORLD CUP 2019 WARM-UP MATCHES

ENGLAND (5) v IRELAND (3)

In brief

• This is the 135th meeting between the teams with England currently leading 77-49 with eight draws
• England won 32-20 the last time the sides met in the Six Nations in Dublin
• Ireland won 24-15 on their last visit to Twickenham in the 2018 Six Nations

Rankings predictor

• England will regain fourth place from South Africa if they win
• They need to win by more than 15 points to overtake Ireland and move into third
• An Ireland victory will see them move to the top of the rankings for the first time in history, the second team to do so in as many weeks

SCOTLAND (8) v FRANCE (7)

In brief

• France have 55 wins to Scotland’s 36 with three draws since their first meeting in 1910
• Scotland have won their last two fixtures at home to Les Bleus
• France’s last victory at Murrayfield came in March 2014 (19-17)

Rankings predictor

• A Scotland win will see the teams trade places for the second week running with Scotland up to seventh and France down to eighth
• A Scotland defeat by more than 15 points would leave them just nine-hundredths of a point ahead of ninth-placed Japan
• France cannot climb any higher than their present position of seventh