RBS 6 Nations 2016: Power Ranking Teams After Matchday 3

Giants have fallen and new powers continue to emerge in the 2016 RBS Six Nations, where table-topping England lead the charge after defeating Ireland 21-10 in Matchday 3 to maintain their unbeaten run.

Not far behind Eddie Jones' side is Wales—the only other team yet to suffer defeat in this year's tournament—who have every chance of causing an upset in what looks set to be a title-decider at Twickenham on March 12.

It's already been confirmed that champions Ireland won't be sealing a third Six Nations crown in succession, and Joe Schmidt's men have underperformed in their campaign thus far.

Scotland and France sit above the Irish, placed fourth and third after three matches, respectively, but the table order may not be considered a fair reflection of who's performed best thus far in the competition.

We've broken down the results after Matchday 3, taking into account opposition faced and level of performance to bring you an updated look at the 2016 RBS Six Nations power rankings.

Take a look at last week's edition to see how your team has fared.

Movement: None

Champions come and go, but one thing that remains, it seems, is Italy's reaffirmed positioning at the base of the Six Nations standings. Saturday's 36-20 defeat to Scotland meant the Azzurri are now the only team in this year's competition who have failed to claim a point thus far.

Initially, there appeared to be a great deal of promise for Jacques Brunel's side following a 23-21 loss to France in Matchday 1, but after conceding a combined total of 76 points against England and Scotland, their defence is in the gutter.

Former Italy hooker Fabio Ongaro told BT Sport's Rugby Tonight the sport is feverishly catching on in his native land. However, the team's latest loss has merely helped dredge a distinct lack of tactical awareness back into the spotlight.

Three defeats in three is enough to place any team at the bottom of our power rankings, but while the Azzurri haven't been the worst attacking team with four tries to their name, an average of 33 points conceded per match is unforgivable.

Movement: None

Ireland are somewhat fortunate not to be bottom of our rankings after the 21-10 loss to England last Saturday, a result that could have been so much worse were it not for the Twickenham hosts' inadequacies.

Injuries and retirements have left Joe Schmidt's squad ravaged in recent months, and the hopes were perhaps never truly that realistic of capturing a third consecutive Six Nations crown, but this has been a most disappointing bust.

The 16-16 draw against Wales in Week 1 yielded the only point of Ireland's tournament so far, albeit having already faced the three toughest fixtures of their campaign, including trips to France and England.

The Irish Independent's Ruaidhri O'Connor recently opined that debating questionable referee decisions and other "what might have been" scenarios isn't good enough for a team of Ireland's stature:

Ireland need to take the referee out of the equation. They need to stop allowing themselves be bullied. They need to be smart and they need their leaders to step out of the shadows and take control of games.

[...]

Since last season's second successive title, Paul O'Connell has joined Brian O'Driscoll in the great television studio in the stand, and Sean O'Brien, Peter O'Mahony, Tommy Bowe and Iain Henderson are among the players who are absent through injury.

Movement: Down One

The unbeaten reign of France coach Guy Noves was finally brought to an end in Cardiff, where Les Bleus came off on the receiving end of a 19-10 defeat to Wales following a frustrating affair at the Principality Stadium.

Neither team was able to operate at full flow in the Welsh capital on Friday, but France were undoubtedly deserving losers after just slipping past Italy and Ireland by two points and one point, respectively.

The reason their first loss under Noves was particularly frustrating is because the signs were again evident that France are looking to play a more expansive game under the new coach, according to Opta's Russ Petty.

Untimely handling mistakes in opposition territory and miscalculation in a back line still piecing itself together remain the key issues, though, and it seemed just a matter of time until a well-drilled outfit took this French side down.

It finally came to fruition in Cardiff, and with an improving Scottish side next on the agenda before a Matchday 5 clash against England, one has to wonder whether Les Bleus will clinch another victory in the competition.

Movement: Up One

Even the neutral could feel it was a case of justice being done for Scotland in Italy last Saturday, when Vern Cotter's contenders finally got off the mark in their Six Nations campaign and overcame defeats to England and Wales.

It might well have been unfair to judge this Scottish side on those losses, considering the opponents who beat them were largely tipped as pre-tournament favourites, but now they're looking to push on.

And the signs are deeply encouraging for Cotter. His back row performed well in the 36-20 thumping of Italy, where flankers John Hardie and John Barclay were both on the scoresheet, not to mention the likes of Stuart Hogg and Tommy Seymour proving impressive out wide.

The half-back pairing of captain Greig Laidlaw and Finn Russell can also be devastating, but the team has to ensure the Italy triumph becomes the rule and not an exception.

Their victory over the Azzurri was more impressive than that of France's—perhaps the best comparison to draw between the two sides—so despite Les Bleus being higher in the table, it's Scotland who look the finer team.

Movement: None

One could well attest to Matchday 4 opponents Wales and England being level pegging in the power stakes at present, but the former will have to settle for second place here after another lazy finish on Matchday 3.

For the second game in succession, Wales allowed their opponents to land a late blow after France captain Guilhem Guirado replicated the same feat Scotland's Duncan Taylor performed a fortnight prior by scoring in the 78th minute.

Granted, neither of those tries affected the end result, but they did expose certain holes in the Welsh defence that will need sealing if they're to claim back-to-back victories over England at Twickenham for the first time since 1978.

It may have been the kicking of fly-half Dan Biggar that led Wales to success, but a strong pack performance followed up by the sizzling skills of Jamie Roberts, Gareth Davies and George North lit up the path to success.

Not until the Matchday 4 clash against England will we truly know which of Europe's titans sits atop the pile, but Wales skills coach Neil Jenkins was correct to assert this a "special" side, per the Welsh Rugby Union's official Twitter feed.

Movement: None

A 21-10 win over soon-to-be former Six Nations champions Ireland last Saturday was enough to keep England at the table summit, and the quality of the display meant their place in our power rankings was also secured.

Some Red Rose fans could be forgiven for expecting more from their side given the amount of scoring opportunities created against the Irish, and No. 8 Billy Vunipola was the most constant threat on hand.

It speaks volumes for the squad's depth in quality that head coach Jones is yet to really settle on his best XV, and ex-England international Austin Healey told Rugby Tonight there's still space for experimentation.

Wales may be the more familiar, cohesive outfit at present, but England have been the gleaming example thus far in the tournament, scoring nine tries in total—almost twice as many as any other side.

England have also conceded just 28 points in their first three games, and while the dynamic could change drastically after Matchday 4, Jones' team just about edge the power scale for the time being.