Will this rank among the best Six Nations ever?

What appears to be one of the most open-looking Six Nations Championships in recent memory is just around the corner, providing European rugby fans with the perfect antidote to the long winter nights.

Since the conclusion of last year's Championship, Grand Slam winners England have continued where they left off to go through a calendar year unbeaten for the first time in nearly a quarter of a century; Ireland and Italy recorded historic victories over New Zealand and South Africa; Scotland came within a whisker of a clean sweep of November wins; France showed improvement under Guy Noves; and Wales managed to put a disappointing defeat to Australia behind them to win two and draw one of their three remaining fixtures.

Reflecting this upbeat mood, only Wales have suffered a reduction in their rating points since the curtain was brought down on last year's Championship, and only by a fraction over half a point. Even so, they remain unmoved in fifth place in the rankings. The biggest climbers are Ireland who have moved up three places to fourth, while England enjoyed the biggest rise in their rating, with a gain of 6.48 points.

This year’s Championship is the last chance for teams to make all-important changes to their World Rugby Rankings, which will be used as the basis for the RWC 2019 pool draw in May and, barring disaster, England look set to be in band one of the draw as a top four team, while Italy are destined for band three.

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Ireland and Wales, however, could easily trade places with one another over the course of the seven-week long Championship as the margins are so tight between the two Celtic nations, while a poor run of results for either Scotland and France could see them slip out of the top eight altogether and leave them with a far less favourable draw come May.

With bonus points thrown into the mix for the first time and players hoping to put their hands up for a place on the British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, it is set up to be an intriguing Six Nations on so many levels.

SCOTLAND (7) v IRELAND (4)

Stormers centre Huw Jones (pictured) has recovered from a foot injury to make his Six Nations bow alongside Alex Dunbar in the Scotland midfield. The highly-rated Zander Ferguson takes the place of the injured WP Nel at tight-head, while Hamish Watson is preferred to club team-mate John Hardie at openside. The Gray brothers pack down together for the 18th time at this level in the Scotland boiler room.

Team GB Olympic silver-medallist Mark Bennett is on the Scotland bench for the first time in his international career.

Ireland have opted for Paddy Jackson at 10 after Johnny Sexton was ruled out because of a calf strain. Garry Ringrose and Robbie Henshaw start together in the centres for the first time in a test in a partnership that Ireland hopes will be every bit as fruitful as the one enjoyed by fellow Leinster men Gordon D’Arcy and Brian O’Driscoll.

Tadgh Furlong starts at tight-head in an otherwise experienced pack, while the uncapped Niall Scannell is named among the replacements. Ian Keatley provides the fly-half cover.

In brief

• Scotland have lost only once since the end of the last Six Nations, and that by a single point to Australia at Murrayfield in November.
• The Scots won their most recent match at Murrayfield in the Six Nations, against France in round four last year, and have not won successive matches at the venue in the Championship since 2013. 
• Scotland have begun with a victory on the opening round only once since the Championship expanded to six nations - beating France in Edinburgh in 2006. 
• Ireland have lost just one of their last four test matches: 21-9 to New Zealand in Dublin on 19 November. 
• Ireland have not won away from home in the Six Nations since they last visited Edinburgh in round five in 2015. 
• Ireland have lost their opening encounter in the Championship just once since 2004: 21-23 at home to Wales in 2012.
• Ireland have won their last four test matches against Scotland with the Scots' most recent victory being 12-8 at Murrayfield in 2013.  

Rankings predictor

A best-ever position of fifth is within Scotland’s grasp if they register a win of more than 15 points and Wales and France fail to win on the road against England.

Suffer a heavy defeat, however, and they could slip out of the top eight, into ninth - below Argentina - if France draw or win at Twickenham

Ireland cannot overtake Australia in third place no matter how well they win, although there will be less than half a point between the sides if Joe Schmidt's men register a win of more than 15 points.

ENGLAND (2) v FRANCE (8)

Eddie Jones makes five changes to the team that defeated Australia in December. Wasps centre Elliot Daly starts on the left wing with Jonny May on the right. Joe Marler packs down at loose-head, Joe Launchbury is named in the second-row and Saracens lock Maro Itoje starts at blindside flanker for the first time for his country at this level. Nathan Hughes makes his Six Nations debut at number eight.

Kyle Sinckler, Teimana Harrison and Ben Te’o stand by to make their Six Nations bows from the bench

For France, Baptiste Serin is picked at scrum-half for his Six Nations debut. The 22-year-old Bordeaux-Begles man created France’s only try against New Zealand in November with an inspired behind the back pass, as a second-half replacement. In the absence of the injured Wesley Fofana, Remi Lamerat and Gael Fickou form the centre partnership.

In brief:

• England have won their last 14 test matches since Australia beat them at Rugby World Cup 2015, equalling their best ever run set in 2002-03. 
• England have not lost at Twickenham in the Six Nations since Wales were the visitors in round three in 2012, a run of 11 successive victories. Another win would equal their best-ever home sequence in the history of the Championship set between 1911-21.
• England have lost a round one Six Nations encounter just once in the last eight seasons, to France in Paris in 2014. 
• France have won only two of their last eight test matches, in Argentina in June and against Samoa in Toulouse in November. 
• Les Bleus have won only once away from home in the Six Nations since 2014: 29-0 against Italy in Rome in round four in 2015. 
• France have lost only once in round one since 2009, to Italy in Rome in 2013. 
• England have lost only one of their last four encounters with the French: 20-25 in a Rugby World Cup warm-up game in Paris in 2015. 
• France have beaten England just once at Twickenham in the Championship since 1997, and that was by a single point in 2005.  

Rankings predictor

England cannot move above number one side New Zealand or fall below third-ranked Australia, whatever the result.

France could go as high as fourth with victory if Wales fail to win in Rome and Ireland are resoundingly beaten by Scotland.

ITALY (13) v WALES (5)

Captain Sergio Parisse wins his 122nd cap and makes his 56th appearance in the Six Nations, putting him in fourth place on the all-time list alongside Mike Gibson and Gethin Jenkins.

The Stade Francais star and Bayonne tight-head Lorenzo Cittadini are the only overseas-based players in the starting line-up with the remaining 13 coming from Italy’s two professional clubs, Zebre and Benetton Treviso.

Rome-born openside flanker Maxime Mbanda is the only Six Nations debutant.

Livewire scrum-half Rhys Webb (pictured) returns to the fold as Wales make five changes from the team that beat South Africa in November for the trip to Rome.

Webb returns after injury, while former captain Sam Warburton is named on the blindside flank by caretaker coach Rob Howley. Alun Wyn-Jones wears the captain’s armband.

Props Nicky Smith and Samson Lee also come in to the team, with Jake Ball replacing the injured Luke Charteris in the second-row.

In brief

• Italy have won three of their last five test matches, including a famous first-ever victory over South Africa.
• Italy’s most recent victory in the Six Nations was against Scotland in Edinburgh in round three in 2015. 
• Italy have not been victorious at the Stadio Olimpico since beating Ireland there in round five in 2013. 
• Wales have won their last three test matches since tripping up 32-8 to the Wallabies in Cardiff in November. 
• Wales have lost just one of their last nine Six Nations encounters: 25-21 to England at Twickenham in round four last year. 
• Wales are winless in their last two away games in the Six Nations, they have not gone three successive games on the road without a win in the tournament since 2007.  
• Wales have won their last 10 matches against Italy since their 23-20 reversal at the Stadio Flaminio in the Championship in 2007.  

Rankings predictor

Wales can edge Ireland out of fourth place in the rankings if they win well and Scotland pile on the misery for Ireland. That would leave the Celtic nations separated by one-hundredth of a point.

Italy will leapfrog Georgia into 12th place with victory. Win big and they would also overtake Japan.

AMERICAS RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP

The Americas' equivalent of the Six Nations also gets underway this weekend, with two of the three matches counting towards the World Rugby Rankings.

The first game, in Sao Paulo on Friday, features Brazil and Chile, the sides that finished in the bottom two places of the inaugural tournament in 2016.

BRAZIL (36) v CHILE (29)

Brazil field an exciting backline containing the Sancery twins, Felipe and Daniel, and centre Moisés Duque, who kicked Os Tupis to a famous victory over the USA in last year’s competition. Nick Smith captains the side from number eight.

Loose-head prop Claudio Zamarano leads out Chile for the first time in his 16th test. Viña centre Franco Velardeis is the only debutant in the Los Condores side, with three other uncapped players - props Vittorio Lastra and Gonzalo Martínez, and utility forward Nicanor Machuca - on the bench..

In brief

• Chile won 25-22 when the sides met in Santiago in the inaugurual Americas Rugby Championship. 
• The last meeting, on 30 April, in the Sudamerica Rugby A Championship, ended in a 20-20 draw.
• Chile's Matias Nordenflycht was top points scorer in the 2016 edition with 53.
• Brazil's Daniel Sancery was joint second top try-scorer with four.

Rankings predictor

Brazil will be awarded 1.14 points if they win by 15 points or less, moving them above Moldova and Ukraine into 34th place. A big win would promote them four places to 32nd and reduce the differential between themselves and Chile to just two places.

The best Chile can hope for is a one-place rise to 28th.

CANADA v ARGENTINA XV

Fly-half Robbie Povey starts for the first time at senior level in this non-capped international. English-born Povey, a former student at Rugby School, qualifies for the Canucks through his mother, a native of Montreal. Captain Gordon McRorie will provide guidance from scrum-half. Full-back Carl Pocock is one of five players to get their run-on debuts for the Canadian team – at the grand old age of 32.

Twice-capped openside 22-year-old Lautaro Bavaro captains an Argentina XV that incudes exciting talents.such as Bautista Delguy.

In brief

• Argentina XV won last year's competition despite drawing their first game, 35-35 (v USA).
• Argentina XV were the only side not to concede over 100 points (99).
• Argentina XV scored 30 tries at an average of six per game.
• Last year's game in Rosario ended in a 54-21 win for Argentina XV. 
• Canada handed out 19 new caps on their way to a third-place finish in 2016.

USA (17) v URUGUAY (21)

Junior All-American Ben Cima, a leading light at the last World Rugby U20 Trophy, is handed his test debut at fly-half, and as a result  AJ MacGinty, the Eagles' number 10 at RWC 2015, moves to outside-centre. Hooker Peter Malcolm is also called into the starting XV for the first time, while uncapped prop Alex Maughan and utility back Will Magie are among the replacements.

Uruguay include a sextet of players with RWC 2015 experience in their run-on team: captain Alejandro Nieto, loose-head prop Mateo Sanguinetti, blindside flanker Franco Lamanna, inside-centre Juan de Freitas, right wing Leandro Leivas, and full-back Rodrigo Silva.

Highly promising openside flanker Rodolfo Garese will make his test debut, with four more uncapped players on the bench.

In brief

• Uruguay won last year's fixture in Montevideo, 29-25, their first win over the Eagles in nine attempts.
• USA have won only won one of their last six tests (25-0 v Russia in June 2016).
• Los Teros have only won one of their last five tests (16-0 v Spain in June 2016)

Rankings predictor

The gap between the USA and Uruguay will be down to just six-tenths of a point and two places if Los Teros win. The South Americans will replace the Eagles in the world’s top 20 if they win by more than 15 points.

The USA Eagles are too far behind 16th-placed Romania (4.7 points deficit) to climb the rankings.