Following the weekends 6-13 loss in the Calcutta Cup at Murrayfield, the Scots are now placed 11th, behind Tonga and Samoa.
What is significant about this is the impact rankings have this year on the pool selection for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Those pools will be based on the rankings as they stand at the end of this years Autumn Internationals. Unless Scotland can get back into the top 8 in the world, they will again face being in the third pot and facing a team in the top 4 and a second team placed 5th to 8th.
It's beyond my comprehension as to why the draw for the RWC is made so early. Scotland fans will be familiar with the frustration after the last World Cup where their team were drawn with England (pool 2) and Argentina (pool 1). The Scots then won a test series in Argentina, promoting them to 7th in the world.
That aside, the rules are what they are, and so it leaves Scotland 10 matches between now and the end of November to make things right. The fixtures aren't easy, starting with an in form Wales in Cardiff on Sunday:
Wales (A), France (H), Ireland (A), Italy (A), Australia (A), Fiji (A), Samoa (A), New Zealand (H), South Africa (H) and Tonga (H).
The odds are stacked against Scotland. They need to aim for at least 3 wins in the remaining 6 Nations, at least 2 in the summer tour and 2 in the autumn.
A bonus for Scotland before the summer tour will be the arrival of Scott Johnson into the coaching setup (assuming we still have a head coach in June) and the availability of Dutch born Tim Visser for Scotland selection having gained national citizenship. Visser is the highest try scorer in the RaboDirect Pro12 league, and could be the perfect tonic for the try shy Scots.
Can Tim Visser help to turn
Scotland's fortunes?
Whatever happens, Scotland have left an awful lot to do to remedy the situation they find themselves in - their worst world ranking position since they were introduced.
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