Six Nations 2015: Fixtures, Table and Permutations Ahead of Final Weekend
After four rounds of matches, it all comes down to the wire in the final weekend of the 2015 Six Nations Championship.
Wales' 23-16 victory over Ireland in Round 4 ensures that there is still everything to play for, with four teams still in with a chance of clinching the title, as England and France also kept their hopes alive.
Here are the fixtures, current standings and what each team needs to do to secure the Six Nations.
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| P | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Points | |
| England | 4 | 3 | 1 | 102 | 65 | +37 | 6 |
| Ireland | 4 | 3 | 1 | 79 | 46 | +33 | 6 |
| Wales | 4 | 3 | 1 | 85 | 73 | +12 | 6 |
| France | 4 | 2 | 2 | 68 | 46 | +22 | 4 |
| Italy | 4 | 1 | 3 | 42 | 121 | -79 | 2 |
| Scotland | 4 | 0 | 4 | 63 | 88 | -25 | 0 |
| Date | Time (GMT) | Match |
| Saturday March 23 | 12:30 p.m. | Italy vs. Wales |
| Saturday March 23 | 2:30 p.m. | Scotland vs. Ireland |
| Saturday March 23 | 5 p.m. | England vs. France |
Final Weekend Permutations
With three teams level on six points, if one of England, Ireland or Wales win and their rivals both lose, they will win the tournament outright. More than likely, though, it will come down to points difference.
England are, of course, in the driver's seat after their 25-13 win over Scotland, and by virtue of their points difference, they are very slight favourites for the title.
A comfortable win against France in their final match would likely secure the trophy, but Ireland's points difference is only four fewer.
Should both England and Ireland win their final matches, Stuart Lancaster's men must ensure their victory margin stays within four points of the Irish. If both teams finish level on points difference, England have currently scored 11 tries to Ireland's four and would likely take the Championship.
Wales are a factor in the equation, though. They can also win by points difference, but they currently sit 21 points lower than Ireland and 25 points behind England, so it would take a huge margin of victory for them over Italy to win the Six Nations in this manner.
Their best chance is, of course, to win outright, but the chances of both England and Ireland losing are small. Wales lock Luke Charteris admits his side are in need of help from France and Scotland:
The true outsiders are France, who need to not only beat England by a margin of eight points but hope that both Ireland and Wales slip at the final hurdle.
The French are not ideal opposition for a title-deciding match, but the benefits of playing at Twickenham and coming out last should see England to victory, particularly in light of their recent record against France:
Further, England's outstanding attacking play will serve them in good stead as they look to pile on the points, and plenty of their players are in good form, notably winger Jack Nowell:
Ireland, meanwhile, travel to winless Scotland. Vern Cotter's men have undoubtedly been poor so far, and their position in the table reflects that.
However, Ireland's attacking play has not dazzled, and Joe Schmidt's side have scored just four tries in as many matches, so they will be relying heavily on the tactical kicking of Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton. Fly-half Sexton has 40 points in the Championship so far, and he will no doubt add to his tally on Saturday.
Though Ireland have lost on both of their last visits to Scotland, the difference in quality and form of these two teams is staggering, and it would require a significant upset for Scotland to come away with a win.
The likely scenario is that all three of the top teams will win.
England's superior attacking prowess can give them the margin they need, but it'll be a close-run affair.
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