The official World Rugby rankings are set for a reshuffle after the opening round of 2022 Six Nations action this weekend.
Ireland v Wales and Scotland v England on Saturday are followed up by France v Italy on Sunday.
Let's take a look at how the rankings could change after round one:
Ireland v Wales
Ireland and Wales face off in the opening round for the second year on the trot but this time it's in Dublin.
The fit and firing hosts are very much seen as the favourites, and they could potentially climb from fourth to third in the rankings table with a victory - which would be their highest position under Andy Farrell, one they last occupied in September 2019. For that to happen, Ireland must beat Wales and hope Scotland do the same to England at Murrayfield.
Should Wales, ranked eighth in the world going into the tournament, win by more than 15 points, a climb of three places to fifth is on the cards. But if that happens and Scotland also beat England by a hefty margin, Wales would only climb to sixth. In either scenario, Ireland would crash down to to seventh or eighth.
A Welsh win by less than 15 points combined with an English victory would see Pivac's men climb one place to seventh and the hosts drop one place to fifth. But if Wales beat Ireland by less than 15 points and Scotland do the same to England, Ireland drop to fifth but Wales remain eighth. If Scotland win by more than 15 points, Ireland drop to sixth.
Wales can theoretically climb as high as fourth if they win by more than 15 points and France also lose to Italy - which, needless to say, is highly unlikely - and Scotland win by a smaller margin.
Read more: Ireland v Wales head-to-head ratings as just one Welsh player wins on paper
Scotland v England
Scotland host England in the Calcutta Cup clash on Saturday evening hoping to repeat last year's form which saw the Scots beat the Red Rose at Twickenham for the first time in 38 years.
Eddie Jones' England, currently ranked third, could usurp New Zealand in second if they win by more than 15 points.
Scotland would climb from seventh above Australia into sixth place should they win, while Gregor Townsend's men could also reach a record high of fourth if the margin is significant and other results go their way.
See the full Scotland v England team news here.
France v Italy
Pre-tournament favourites France will almost undoubtedly extend Italy's 33-match losing run in the Six Nations on Sunday.
France cannot improve their rating with a win due to the 15.02 rating points between the sides before home weighting is factored in. However, with a win they will climb above a beaten Ireland.
As for Italy, a shock win in Kieran Crowley’s first Six Nations match in charge of the Azzurri would only result in upward movement in the rankings if Georgia slipped up against Portugal.
Read more: How the World Rugby rankings are calculated
How the world rankings look on the eve of the 2022 Six Nations:
- South Africa (90.61 points)
- New Zealand (88.75)
- England (87.83)
- Ireland (86.53)
- France (85.53)
- Australia (83.92)
- Scotland (83.05)
- Wales (81.56)
- Argentina (80.58)
- Japan (78.26)
- Fiji (76.62)
- Georgia (73.72)
- Samoa (73.59)
- Italy (70.51)
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