Never higher than fourth, Wales could reach a rankings high of second with victory over the Wallabies
With 18 of the world’s top 20 sides in action this weekend, there could be a reshuffle at the top when the IRB World Rankings are next announced on Monday.
The fixtures see the June Test window take full flight, with some captivating clashes in store as the southern hemisphere heavyweights host their European counterparts. France and Spain the only top 20 teams not in action.
The IRB World Rankings take on added significance this year because the Pool Allocation Draw for Rugby World Cup 2015 will use them to rank teams into brackets of four at the end of the year.
Reigning World Champions New Zealand are assured of retaining their number one position, regardless of the result against Ireland. However, defeat to the Irish could see the chasing pack draw to within two rating points.
If Australia beat Wales and South Africa see off England, the southern hemisphere trio will retain the top three spots.
However, Scotland’s gritty win over Australia in the driving rain of Newcastle could be a fillip for the other tourists.
The Scots’ success on Australia’s Central Coast, in conditions more befitting a British winter, will guarantee them at least a one-place rise from 12th.
Top three in danger
The scope for major rises or falls is limited at the top end of the IRB World Rankings, but a big win for Wales over Australia in Brisbane could propel them from fifth to second - their highest ever position.
Equally, an England victory over the Springboks on South African soil could upset the southern hemisphere order and push Stuart Lancaster's side up to second.
Even narrow wins for England and Wales would see them slot in at second and third, behind the All Blacks.
Pacific Nations Cup stages rankings battle
Scotland will doubtless also be taking a keen interest in events in Tokyo, where Fiji play Samoa and Japan take on Tonga in the IRB Pacific Nations Cup.
Japan’s defeat by Fiji early in the week consigns them to a fall in the rankings, regardless of how they perform against Tonga on Sunday. From 14th place, Japan will drop to 15th or 16th depending on that result.
Samoa, winners against Tonga early in the week, could finish the week in ninth place if they continue their good form against Fiji.
However, a Fiji win could see them rise to from 16th to 13th and leave Scotland as high as ninth.
Americas trio line up strong opposition
Fresh from their second place finish in the South American Championship, Uruguay have the opportunity to gain further ground when they face Romania in the IRB Nations Cup in Bucharest. A win for the South Americans would see the teams swap places at 18th and 19th.
Canada also have plenty at stake against the USA - defeat could see them drop three places from 13th to finish just one in front of their opponents.
Last week's position in brackets:
1(1) NEW ZEALAND 91.43
2(2) AUSTRALIA 87.99
3(3) SOUTH AFRICA 84.34
4(4) ENGLAND 83.62
5(5) WALES 83.32
6(6) FRANCE 81.91
7(7) ARGENTINA 80.28
8(8) IRELAND 79.85
9(9) TONGA 76.63
10(10) SAMOA 75.81
11(11) ITALY 74.17
12(12) SCOTLAND 73.86
13(13) CANADA 72.92
14(14) JAPAN 70.45
15(15) GEORGIA 70.26
16(16) FIJI 68.78
17(17) USA 65.63
18(18) ROMANIA 63.81
19(19) URUGUAY 61.68
20(20) SPAIN 61.63
21(21) NAMIBIA 61.24
22(22) RUSSIA 61.07
23(23) BELGIUM 59.17
24(24) CHL 58.32
25(25) PORTUGAL 57.75
26(26) KOREA 56.72
27(27) MOROCCO 56.13
28(28) HONG KONG 55.49
29(29) POLAND 55.19
30(30) UKRAINE 53.95
31(31) GERMANY 53.33
32(32) ZIMBABWE 52.40
33(33) BRAZIL 51.57
34(34) TUNISIA 51.34
35(35) MOLDOVA 51.28
36(36) KAZAKHSTAN 51.28
37(37) LITHUANIA 50.90
38(38) SWEDEN 50.41
39(39) CZECH REPUBLIC 50.16
40(40) KENYA 50.13
41(41) PARAGUAY 48.84
42(42) CROATIA 48.06
43(43) UGANDA 48.06
44(44) MALTA 47.97
45(45) NETHERLANDS 47.66
46(46) SRI LANKA 47.60
47(47) IVORY COAST 47.52
48(48) PAPUA NEW GUINEA 46.55
49(50) BERMUDA 46.16
50(51) SWITZERLAND 45.88
51(52) VENEZUELA 45.36
52(53) SENEGAL 45.24
53(49) TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 44.68
54(54) COOK ISLANDS 44.61
55(55) PHP 44.34
56(56) MADAGASCAR 44.31
57(59) GUYANA 44.29
58(57) ISRAEL 43.90
59(58) CHINESE TAIPEI 43.19
60(65) THAILAND 42.90
61(61) ANDORRA 42.21
62(60) DENMARK 41.75
63(64) PERU 41.64
64(63) MALAYSIA 41.37
65(77) INDIA 41.35
66(66) CAYMAN 41.27
67(67) SINGAPORE 41.19
68(68) BARBADOS 41.01
69(62) CHINA 40.73
70(69) SOLOMON ISLANDS 40.70
71(70) NIUE ISLANDS 40.45
72(71) LATVIA 40.16
73(72) SERBIA 40.14
74(74) ZAMBIA 39.94
75(75) COLOMBIA 39.59
76(76) MEXICO 39.38
77(73) PAKISTAN 38.38
78(78) CAMEROON 38.33
79(79) SLOVENIA 38.30
80(80) BULGARIA 37.66
81(81) HUNGARY 37.49
82(82) JAMAICA 37.08
83(83) ST. VINCENT & THE GRENADINES 36.84
84(84) AUSTRIA 36.84
85(85) SWAZILAND 36.68
86(86) BOTSWANA 36.68
87(87) TAHITI 36.25
88(89) BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA 36.18
89(90) BAHAMAS 35.96
90(88) GUAM 35.70
91(91) NIGERIA 35.29
92(92) MONACO 35.17
93(93) NORWAY 34.55
94(94) VANUATU 33.45
95(95) LUXEMBOURG 32.62
96(96) FINLAND 27.03
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