New World Rugby rankings see Wales and England make progress as Springboks in league of their own
The world rankings now clearly show South Africa at the top.(Photo credit: Getty Images)
The Rugby World Cup is over for another four years, with South Africa emerging victorious after seven weeks of blood, sweat, and tears.
The Springboks only suffered one loss while in France, a close loss to Ireland in the pool stages. However, they overcame the hosts and England in the elimination stages and managed to defeat New Zealand 12–11 in a thrilling Paris final on Saturday. They have also won in Japan four years ago, in 2007 and 1995, making them the only men’s team to win the competition four times.
They began the competition in third place behind France and Ireland, so it is not surprising that their dominance in this year’s tournament has seen them rise to the top of the global rankings. In fact, the Boks are now well and truly in a class of their own as far as the rankings are concerned, with their narrow victory over New Zealand earning them an extra 1.75 ranking points, putting them on 94.54 points overall – nearly four clear of anyone else.
Though they finished second in the tournament, it’s not the All Blacks, who dropped to third after losing in the final, nor is it England or Argentina, who faced off in the Bronze Final on Friday night. Instead, Andy Farrell’s Ireland team is ranked second in the rankings. Having started the tournament at the top, their quarterfinal exit to New Zealand only caused them to drop a little bit, and they are still the highest-ranked team in the Six Nations, with France in fourth place following their disappointing home tournament.Only 0.04 points separate Argentina and Wales, who they eliminated from the competition in the quarterfinals. Argentina is currently ranked seventh. Just two months ago, Warren Gatland’s team was hanging onto a top-10 spot. While they would have preferred to have progressed further in the competition, the jump to eighth place is a significant improvement, putting them well ahead of teams like Australia, Fiji, and Italy. As the 2024 Six Nations approaches, the top five spots are still very much within reach.
The latest World Rugby rankings in full
1
South Africa 94.54 (+1.75)
2 (↑3) Ireland 90.57
3 (↓2) New Zealand 89.80 (-1.75)
4
France 87.81
5
England 85.46 (+1.74)
6
Scotland 83.43
7
Argentina 80.68 (-1.74)
8
Wales 80.64
9
Australia 77.48
10
Fiji 76.38
11
Italy 75.93
12
Japan 74.27
13
Portugal 72.78
14
Georgia 72.68
15