But Robinson, while happy with the climb, says it will count for nothing unless they back up their new-found billing in New Zealand – starting with their opening Pool B match against Romania.

“What the rankings prove is that, if you win games, you will move up the rankings,” Robinson told scottishrugby.org.

“For us, getting that consistency of winning three games on the bounce means you have the ability to move up.

“I don't think the rankings will have too much impact on what happens in the Rugby World Cup, where we'll have four very tough games in our pool stages and the key focus for us is on winning those games”