SCOTLAND'S World Cup seeding prospects have taken another downward turn in the wake of their loss in the wooden spoon showdown in Rome.
The home win enabled Italy to overtake Andy Robinson's side by moving into 11th place in the IRB official world rankings.
The Scots occupy the lowest position in the table since its inception, following seven consecutive defeats.
If they don't reverse their fortunes over the rest of the year, they could be consigned to the third level of seeds for the next World Cup, in England in 2015.
The seedings will be based on the rankings at the end of the Autumn Series in which Scotland face world champions New Zealand and former holders South Africa, along with Tonga.
1 (1) New Zealand 91.43
2 (2) Australia 87.99
3 (3) South Africa 84.34
4 (4) England 83.62
5 (5) Wales 83.32
6 (6) France 81.91
7 (8) Argentina 80.28
8 (7) Ireland 79.85
9 (9) Tonga 76.63
10 (10) Samoa 75.81
11 (12) Italy 74.17
12 (11) Scotland 73.86
13 (13) Canada 72.92
14 (14) Japan 70.45
15 (15) Georgia 70.26
16 (16) Fiji 68.78
17 (17) USA 65.63
18 (18) Romania 63.81
19 (19) Spain 62.57
20 (20) Namibia 61.24
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