France can be world No. 1 after the Crunch… or fall to 4th place

A defeat at Twickenham would drop the Blues two places in the World Rugby rankings. But a victory could offer them the throne. Explanations.

The stakes before the Crunch at Twickenham, Saturday (5.45pm) as part of the 4^e day of the Six Nations Tournament, are multiple. End 18 years of defeat for example for the Blues who have not won in the Temple since 2005.

There is also an issue regarding the World Rugby ranking. In case of defeat, the XV of France, currently 2^e world nation, would fall to the 4^e place, doubled by New Zealand and South Africa. In the event of a draw or an exploit, Fabien Galthié’s men would remain in second place behind Ireland.

They can even hope to pass in front of the XV of Clover to sit at the top of this classification. For that, you need a victory for the Blues and… a defeat for the Irish on Sunday (4 p.m.) in Scotland.