This is how much money the country will lose if England are kicked out of the Rugby World Cup

The London Business School has said that if England prematurely exit the Rugby World Cup on Saturday night, it could cost the economy up to £3billion.

Professor Alex Edmans has predicted that if England lose to Australia at Twickenham stock market values will plunge, as the lost competition affects investor mood.

Edmans' research is based chiefly on football and also on the observation of similar trends in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Argentina and Brazil.

"A rugby loss leads to a next day decline of 0.15 per cent, which is roughly £3bn when applied to the UK stock market," he told the i newspaper.

The biggest losers would be O2, who are sponsoring the tournament and the England team, and ITV, which paid £60m in 2010 for the rights to screen the matches. The losses faced by pubs, restaurants and shops would also run in to the tens of millions.

Even if England lose, though, if previous tournaments are anything to go by, there should still be some economic boost from hosting the Rugby World Cup, It's estimated the 2007 tournament contributed £380 million to the French economy.

More: Even if you don’t like rugby union, here’s why the World Cup is great for the UK