Six Nations permutations: What England, Ireland and France need to win the title
Eight months after it kicked off back in February, the Six Nations Championship will finally conclude on Saturday evening in Paris.
Ireland, England and France are all in contention for the title as the decisive final weekend approaches.
And drama is assured until the end: the very last fixture is guaranteed to be pivotal, no matter what happens earlier in the day.
Here is what each country needs to happen for them to win the Six Nations.
What England need to win Six Nations
England have a straightforward task: thrash Italy in Rome and hope for the best.
Should Eddie Jones’s men earn a bonus-point win, they will be in the box seat.
Ireland would likely then have to do the same against France to pip England.
What Ireland need to win Six Nations
Ireland can guarantee a fourth Six Nations title in seven years if they achieve a bonus-point win against France.
But even if England get the bonus point, Ireland could find a regular win is enough, depending on points difference.
Ireland have a 23-point advantage in the points difference column.
So if England run in four tries and beat Italy by 20 points, Ireland will still be champions if they record any kind of win against France.
What France need to win Six Nations
France could spoil the party with an upset in Dublin.
But they would have to outdo England’s result against Italy to leap to the top of the standings at the last opportunity.
Les Bleus and England have almost identical records: 11 points each, and points differences of 13 and 11 respectively.
That means that an emphatic English win in Rome will require an even bigger victory from France over Ireland.
If England only manage a scrappy victory against Italy, or fail to get the bonus point, the door will be wide open for France.
Fixtures, times and TV channel
Sat 31 Oct: Wales v Scotland, 2:15pm BBC
Sat 31 Oct Italy v England, 4:45pm ITV
Sat 31 Oct Ireland v France, 8.05pm BBC