Women’s Six Nations Ranking Permutations and Previews

 A look ahead of the Women's Six Nations action. 

WORLD RUGBY WOMEN’S RANKINGS STATS

Ireland will climb above Italy into seventh if they win and the Azzurre fail to beat Scotland
• However, if Italy narrowly beat Scotland, Ireland must win by more 15 points to climb
above the Italians
• Italy will ensure they remain ranked above Ireland if they beat Scotland by more than 15
points
• Ireland cannot fall from eighth place even with a heavy defeat at home
• France will retain fourth place regardless of the outcome against Ireland
• Les Bleues can only improve their rating by a maximum of 0.77 rating points and would
have at least a 3.32 point cushion over the side in fifth with a heavy defeat
• Scotland will enter the top 10 for the first time if they beat Italy, condemning Wales to
their lowest ever ranking of 11th
• A win by more than 15 points would also lift Scotland above Spain into ninth
• Italy can climb above USA into sixth with victory over Scotland provided Ireland do not win
by more than 15 points against France
• The Azzurre can equal their highest ever ranking of fifth – last achieved in October 2020 –
as a win by more than 15 points would also lift them above Australia
• USA would drop two places to eighth if both Italy and Ireland win by more than 15 points,
equalling the Women’s Eagles lowest ever position and one they last occupied in July 2017

IRELAND (8) 76.43 v FRANCE (4) 84.32

Ireland win by 15 points or less – Ireland 77.92, France 82.83
Ireland win by more than 15 points – Ireland 78.66, France 82.09
Draw – Ireland 76.92, France 83.83
France win by 15 points or less – Ireland 75.92, France 84.83
France win by more than 15 points – Ireland 75.66, France 85.09

SCOTLAND (11) 70.67 v ITALY (7) 77.91

Scotland win by 15 points or less – Scotland 72.10, Italy 76.48
Scotland win by more than 15 points – Scotland 72.81, Italy 75.77
Draw – Scotland 71.10, Italy 77.48
Italy win by 15 points or less – Scotland 70.10, Italy 78.48
Italy win by more than 15 points – Scotland 69.81, Italy 78.77
The World Rugby Women’s Rankings update every Monday at 12:00 UK time.

WOMEN’S SIX NATIONS 2021

IRELAND v FRANCE – ENGERGIA PARK, DONNYBROOK, DUBLIN – KO 14:15 BST

Head to head

Played: 28 – France leads 24-3 with one draw
Points for: Ireland 216 / France 721 (avg. score: Wales 13-13 Ireland )
Highest score: Ireland 22 (22-22 on 24 May, 2008) / France 53 (53-0 on 16 February, 2001)
Biggest winning margin: Ireland 5 (15-10 on 8 March, 2013) / France 53 (53-0 on 16 February, 2001)
First met: 15 April, 1994 – RWC 1994 – France 31-0 Ireland – West of Scotland RFC, Milngavie
Last met: 9 March, 2019 – France 47-17 Ireland – Energia Park, Dublin
Referee: Sara Cox (England)

• Sara Cox has refereed their fixture once before, Ireland’s 13-10 victory in February 2017
• Due to changes in Irish quarantine policy from Thursday, Clara Munarini and Beatrice
Benvenuti (ITA) are unable to be assistant referees as appointed and have been replaced by
Hollie Davidson (SCO) and Katherine Ritchie (ENG)
• The winner of this match will face Pool A winners England in the final on 24 April
• This will be their first meeting since the 2019 Women’s Six Nations, their rescheduled 2020
meeting in November was cancelled due to positive COVID-19 cases in the French squad
• This week marked the 27th anniversary of the first test between the sides at RWC 1994
• Both sides are yet to concede a point in the 2021 Championship, France beating Wales 53-0
a fortnight ago and Ireland overcoming the same opponents 45-0 last weekend
• That victory was Ireland’s fourth biggest winning margin in history
• France are looking for a fourth successive victory against Ireland, having last tasted defeat
in February 2017, 13-10 in Donnybrook
• France have won 10 of their last 12 meetings with Ireland, the two defeats coming on Irish
soil in 2013 and 2017
• Ireland’s three victories have all come on home soil and exactly four years apart – in 2009
(7-5 in Ashbourne), 2013 (15-10 in Ashbourne) and 2017 (13-10 in Donnybrook)
• France’s Caroline Boujard is the top try-scorer after two rounds following her first-half hattrick against Wales
• Boujard’s hat-trick is thought to be the joint-fastest in Women’s Six Nations history,
alongside Kat Merchant’s treble for England against Scotland in 2009
• France carried 107 times for 1,018 metres against Wales
• Ireland have named an unchanged starting line-up from their record defeat of Wales
• There are two changes to the bench, in hooker Emma Hooban and the uncapped AmeeLeigh Murphy Crowe as backline cover
• Murphy Crowe was the leading try-scorer on the women’s HSBC World Rugby Sevens
Series 2019 – the first northern hemisphere player to do so
• Murphy Crowe has scored 98 tries in 28 events on the series
• France have made eight changes from the Wales victory, three in pack with prop Rose
Bernadou, second-row Safi N’Diaye and flanker Marjorie Mayans coming in
• In the backline only hat-trick hero Caroline Boujard and full-back Emilie Boulard remain
with Cyrielle Banet joining them in the back three
• Laure Sansus and Caroline Drouin form the new half-back pairing with Jade Ulutule and
Carla Neisen selected in the centres for Les Bleues
• Romane Menager is named among the replacements, her twin sister Marine having played
against Wales but not made the squad for the trip to Ireland
• The returning Banet and Sansus were joint top try-scorers in the 2020 Championship with
four alongside England’s Abby Dow and Poppy Cleall
Women’s preview – 17 April, 2021
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• Drouin, Ulutule, Neisen and Menager have returned from sevens duty, playing in the
Olympic preparation tournaments in Dubai over the previous two weekends