Key Points:
• Georgia cannot improve their ranking with a win over Romania this weekend due to the 11.93-point gap and nine places separating the teams, even before considering home advantage.
• However, a rare loss for Georgia in the Rugby Europe Men’s Championship, their first in eight years, would see them drop below Wales and Japan into 13th position.
• If they lose by more than 15 points, Georgia will fall further to 14th, allowing Samoa to move up.
• Romania needs to win by a margin of more than 15 points to replace Tonga in 19th place. If Spain loses in the other semi-final in Portugal, Romania could move up an additional spot, pushing Spain down to 20th.
• Portugal will not gain enough points with a win to move up from their 15th-place ranking.
• A loss for Portugal will see them drop below the USA, and if defeated by more than 15 points, Spain could become the higher-ranked Iberian team.
• A narrower win for Spain could see them overtake Uruguay and climb into 17th place.
• The Netherlands cannot improve their ranking by defeating Germany, as the home advantage pushes the points difference to over 10. However, a loss will cause them to drop at least one place, potentially up to four, depending on the scoreline.
• A strong victory for Germany could push them back into the world’s top 30 and close the gap to the Netherlands to just two places.
• In the fifth-place semi-final between Belgium and Switzerland, points are at stake for both teams. A win for Belgium will lift them above Zimbabwe into 26th, with the possibility of gaining an additional spot if the Netherlands lose.
• A first Rugby Europe Men’s Championship win for Switzerland would push them above Belgium into 25th, depending on the margin and results in Amsterdam.
These permutations add extra excitement as teams battle for higher rankings and crucial World Cup qualification points.
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