It’s now just nine days before the 2019 Rugby World Cup pool draw, in Kyoto’s State Guest House on 10 May, but before then Hungary face Finland in a crucial game that will decide the first-round of play-offs for the European slot in the final repechage tournament.

If Hungary win on Saturday at Helsinki’s Myllypuro Sports Park they will take the Europe Conference I North title ahead of Denmark and march on to a play-off against 1 South winners Bosnia. Draw or lose and Denmark could progress.

Conference 2 North winners Czech Republic will face 2 South winners Malta in the other play-off, with the winners of each game battling it out to meet 2017 Rugby Europe Trophy winners Portugal for the right to face the runner-up from the Rugby Europe Championship qualification process, before a final showdown against the third-place team from the Pacific Nations Cup to earn a place in the finals, with the loser going into the repechage tournament.

Romania beat World Cup-qualifiers Georgia 8-7 earlier in the year to secure the 2017 Rugby Europe Championship and put themselves in a strong position to qualify for the only remaining automatic spot ahead of next year’s championship, which will also count towards qualification.

Spain finished third this year and will be Romania’s main rivals for automatic qualification but are themselves well-placed for the play-off against the third-place team from the Pacific Nations Cup.

Belgium finished bottom of the 2017 Rugby Europe Championship and so drop down into a play-off with Portugal, who clinched the 2017 Rugby Europe Trophy, for a place in next year’s tournament.

Fail to win the play-off and Belgium’s slim chances of qualifying would be over, while Portugal’s 2017 Rugby Europe Trophy win has earned them a showdown against the winner of the Europe Conference play-offs.

After this weekend’s final round of games in the Europe Conference attention turns to 20 May when Belgium face Portugal, Malta play the Czech Republic and Bosnia face either Hungary or Denmark.