World Rugby ranking so important to Scotland as 'huge test' awaits

Townsend and players not underestimating Fiji challenge

In the World Rugby rankings only two places separate Scotland and Fiji so there will be plenty on the line when the sides meet in Suva on July 12.

Gregor Townsend would like his side ensconced in the top six by the time the draw for the 2027 Rugby World Cup takes place in December and thus avoid the calamity of last time when the Scots were in the third group of seeds and ended up in a pool with South Africa and Ireland.

They are currently seventh in the rankings, just behind England and ahead of Australia, with Fiji tucked in in ninth place. If they get into the top six by the time of the draw they will be in the first pot of seeds because the expanded 2027 tournament will feature 24 teams in six pools of four.

Scotland beat Fiji 57-17 in Edinburgh in November but Townsend will not be underestimating them. In the very early days of his tenure as national coach, the Scots lost 27-22 in Suva a week after beating Australia in Sydney.

The message is being drummed into the squad, and not just by Townsend.

Harry Paterson during a Scotland training session at the Oriam earlier this week. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group) | SNS Group / SRU

“Fergus Burke was telling us about his time with Crusaders,” explained Harry Paterson, the Edinburgh full-back who is looking to win his first cap since last summer. “He was saying that playing the Fijians over there is extremely tough.

“The conditions are not kind. It’ll be a huge test for us against a team who will relish the challenge of playing Scotland at home.”

Burke, the uncapped Saracens stand-off, played against the Fijian Drua Super Rugby side during his time in New Zealand and will be more used to the heat and humidity than most in the Scotland squad. Conditions should be a little kinder in the other two tour games. The Scots open against the Maori All Blacks a week on Saturday in Whangarei then return to New Zealand for the final match, against Samoa in Auckland on July 18.

“The other two games will be difficult as well,” said Paterson. “The Maori All Blacks are so strong and talented, and Samoa you know is going to be so physical as well.

“The Fiji and Samoa games are ranked, so we know there’s real meaning in them. We need to be ready for it. It’s a serious tour.”

Fiji's Tevita Ikanivere leads the Cibi ahead of the Autumn Nations Series match against Scotland at Murrayfield in November 2024. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group) | SNS Group / SRU

For Paterson, it is also a chance to reestablish himself as an international player after another injury-disrupted season. The versatile back-three player has played just nine games for Edinburgh since making his Scotland debut against France in the 2024 Six Nations.

The 24-year-old got back into the Edinburgh team towards the end of the season and knows this tour is an opportunity he must grasp with both hands.

“I feel fresh and ready to go,” he said. “I know myself I need to make the most of it. Any chance I get in a Scotland jersey, I need to take it.

“I just want to get down there and smash it to be honest. That’s the aim over these next few weeks. I’ve never been to New Zealand or Fiji before, so I’m absolutely buzzing to experience something new.

“New Zealand is up there with one of the places in the world I’d love to go most. I’m really lucky I’m getting to do it.”