Six Nations Championship 2014: Permutations and Standings Before Final Fixtures

The final round of fixtures in the 2014 Six Nations will be played this weekend and the final standings will be decided.

Ireland look the most likely to go on and win the competition, but England and France both still have a chance if other fixtures go their way.

Italy look set to suffer the ignominy of the wooden spoon, while last year's winners Wales may have to settle for mid-table, having lost to both Ireland and England.

Read on for current standings and the various permutations for each side going into the final round of fixtures.

Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	Diff.	Pts
Ireland	4	3	0	1	110	29	81	6
England	4	3	0	1	86	54	32	6
France	4	3	0	1	81	78	3	6
Wales	4	2	0	2	71	76	-5	4
Scotland	4	1	0	3	44	87	-43	2
Italy	4	0	0	4	52	120	-68	0

Date	Time	Fixture
15 March	12.30pm GMT	Italy vs. England
15 March	2.45pm GMT	Wales vs. Scotland
15 March	5pm GMT	France vs. Ireland

Ireland 

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

In pole position thanks to their superior points difference, most likely any kind of win for Ireland in Paris will see them crowned champions.

It will be Brian O'Driscoll's final international match before his retirement, and victory would be a fitting end to a glorious career.

However, if Joe Schmidt's side lose, they will not return home with the trophy as either France or England would move in to take the title.

England

Stuart Lancaster's team must get a win against Italy and hope that France can beat Ireland in Paris. If this happens, then England would likely take the title on points difference.

A loss for England against Italy could see them finish third in the table and would constitute a very disappointing return after a largely impressive tournament.

Stu Forster/Getty Images

There is a slight possibility England could win the Six Nations even if France lose their game, but they would be required to rack up a massive win over Italy to make up the current 49-point advantage held by Ireland. 

France

Still in the hunt for the championship despite some very average performances, France will need to beat Ireland by a significant margin to claim victory.

A win in Paris would likely leave them second, as England will be looking to improve significantly on their current points total when they face Italy.

A French loss could see them finish fourth if Wales win against Scotland.

Wales

A decent win over Scotland will see Wales finish either third or fourth, depending on results elsewhere.

Even a loss would likely leave them in fourth position but would constitute an awful campaign for the reigning champions.

Scotland

David Rogers/Getty Images

Scotland is unlikely to move out of fifth unless they claim a big win over Wales since a 38-point swing seems unlikely.

Similarly, the Scots will avoid the last spot even if they lose, unless Italy can somehow thrash England.

Italy

A poor tournament has seen Italy pick up no points so far, and they will be aiming for a consolation win over England for which they rested skipper Sergio Parisse against Ireland.

Although a win would be historic for the Azzurri, they have never beaten England in the Six Nations and would still likely finish on bottom.