England close in on top of rankings
February 11, 2002

England will become the first ever northern hemisphere side to top the Zurich World Rankings if they beat Ireland by 16 points or more when the two sides meet in the Six Nations at Twickenham on February 16.

England's win over Scotland in Edinburgh recently, their 15th win in their last 16 games, has taken Clive Woodward's men to within touching distance of the top spot, currently held by New Zealand and a win by 16 points or more over the sixth placed Irish will see England rise to the No.1 spot.

If England were to reach the required mark, it would be tangible evidence of the improvement England have made under Woodward since he took charge in 1997 when England were ranked fifth in the world.

Although England has had its ups and downs, notably in the 1999 World Cup and their defeats in the Six Nations, the Zurich World Rankings show England's slow but steady climb up the world's pecking order to their current high.

Ireland meanwhile are also at an all-time high in sixth place and a second consecutive win over England would see them cut down what is a sizeable gap between themselves and France in fifth.

ENGLAND UNDER CLIVE WOODWARD
November 1997: 5th (1031 points)
January 1998: 5th (1018 points)
January 1999: 5th (1029 points)
January 2000: 4th (1039 points)
January 2001: 4th (1095 points)
July 2001: 3rd (1156 points)
November 2001: 4th (1121 points)
January 2002: 2nd (1176 points)

ZURICH WORLD RANKINGS (02/02)
1. New Zealand 1198
2. England 1188
3. Australia 1148
4. South Africa 1092
5. France 1049
6. Ireland 867
7. Scotland 794
8. Wales 787
9. Argentina 701
10. Samoa 667

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