While the best of British and Irish prepare to do battle with the All Blacks at Eden Park in Auckland, 10 test matches that count towards the World Rugby Rankings will be taking place elsewhere around the globe this weekend.

Saturday in Suva could be one to savour for a Scotland team enjoying a fine start to life under new head coach Gregor Townsend.

The former Scotland and British & Irish Lions fly-half has overseen wins over Italy and Australia since succeeding Vern Cotter and a third straight victory against Fiji, by a margin of more than 15 points, would ensure they move into uncharted territory.

Never in the 13-and-a-half-year history of the World Rugby Rankings have Scotland been in the top four, but that’s the prize within their grasp in the Fijian capital.

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Scotland won 37-25 on their last visit to Fiji, at Lautoka in 2012, when Tim Visser, a try-scorer in each of their last two tests, bagged himself a brace.

With 0.86 of a point on offer, Scotland are guaranteed to replace Australia in fourth if they win well - regardless of how the Wallabies fare against Italy in Brisbane.

IRELAND KEEP GETTING THEIR KICKS

Ireland, ranked third, can take advantage of England’s rest weekend by reducing the gap between themselves and Eddie Jones’ men to less than five points

After beating Japan 50-22 in the first test between the two, Joe Schmidt’s side look odds on to achieve a winning margin of more than 15 points and pick up three-tenths of a rating point.

Ireland have been no strangers to the opposition try-line of late, managing to score 16 in their last two games against USA and Japan, while Paddy Jackson (pictured) has stepped up in the absence of Johnny Sexton to supply points from the tee.  

Remarkably for a player who’s not even the first-choice kicker for his province,  the Ulsterman has successfully slotted 33 of his 34 attempts at goal in Ireland colours since November.

Should Ireland suffer a shock defeat at the hands of the Brave Blossoms and their nearest rivals both prevail, then they will drop down to fifth with Scotland up to the dizzy heights of third.

South Africa could potentially move back into the world’s top four if they complete a 3-0 series whitewash of France in style, but for that to happen both Ireland and Australia would have to fail to win.

Given there are over 10 rating points and seven places between the teams in the rankings, seventh-placed Wales can only marginally improve their position with victory over Samoa in Apia.

Any upward movement in the rankings is dependent on them beating the Islanders convincingly and France finishing their tour of South Africa off with a victory of over 15 points.

Despite the three-test series having already been lost following defeats in the first two tests, France can finish the June Internationals ahead of South Africa in the rankings if they can sign off in style at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.

Reigning World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup holders Fiji will move up to ninth, matching their best-ever position in the rankings, if they manage to burst Scotland’s bubble and win by more than 15 points and Argentina are either held or beaten by Georgia in Jujuy.

NEW LELOS LANDMARK?

Such a result would see the Lelos go unbeaten in consecutive summers, following their successful tour of the Pacific this time last year.

Wins over Canada and the USA have earned Milton Haig’s side 0.69 of a point thus far, and with as many as 2.8 points on offer this weekend, they could break into the world’s top 10 for the first time in their history.

For that to happen the Lelos would need to beat Los Pumas by over 15 points and hope Fiji and Japan lose at home by a similar margin. A big win of that nature would see the Lelos close to within nine-hundredths of a point of their South American hosts.

Most Samoans probably view a Friday night game against a callow Wales side missing a whole host of players due to Lions call-ups as the perfect opportunity for a pick-me-up following last weekend’s resounding 78-0 defeat at the hands of the All Blacks.

As well as famously defeating Wales twice at Rugby World Cups in the 1990s, Samoa have got the better of their opponents on two more occasions, on home soil in 1994 and most recently at the Principality Stadium in 2012.

If they level up the head-to-head at five wins apiece with victory in Apia, Samoa will move above Tonga, who sit out this weekend, and into 13th place.

WORLD CUP WEEKEND

Canada and the USA renew their great rivalry in Ontario as they kick-off the two-match series to decide which team takes up the Americas 1 spot in Pool C at RWC 2019.

The Canucks, ranked six places lower than the Eagles in 23rd, hope to end a run of five straight defeats to their near-neighbours and give themselves a fighting chance ahead of the return leg in San Diego on 1 July. Any form of victory would also result in a two-place rise in the rankings up to 21st.

It is not possible for the USA to climb any higher than their present position of 17th, but they could condemn Canada to a new low of 24th, behind Hong Kong.

An expanded Africa Gold Cup also gets underway, with the opening round of matches featuring games between Kenya and Uganda, which also doubles up as an Elgon Cup decider, and Senegal and Zimbabwe. Tunisia and Namibia sit out the first weekend.

The side that finishes bottom of this year’s competition will be relegated to the Silver Cup and eliminated from RWC 2019 qualification.

Kenya, ranked 25th, take a 23-18 lead into the second leg of the Elgon Cup and will start as heavy favourites to claim their 10th title. Twenty ranking places and over 10 rating points separate the two teams and the Simbas will not pick up any points if, as expected, they do the business on home soil in Nairobi.

Equally, big gains are available to Uganda if they upset the formbook and spoil the Simbas’ party. A victory of six points would not only see them claim the Elgon Cup on aggregate score but also lift them seven places to 38th in the rankings. Thirty-fifth place is even within their grasp if they win by more than 15 points and Zimbabwe are held to a draw by the lower-ranked Senegal.

Victory for Senegal would move them above the Sables into 37th place, on the back of a 0.82 of a point gain.