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New Zealand bounce back in World Rankings

Sam Cane of the All Blacks leads the haka during the International Test match between the New Zealand All Blacks and Ireland at Forsyth Barr Stadium on July 09, 2022 in Dunedin, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

New Zealand have climbed back up the World Rugby rankings, bouncing back from an all-time low of fifth.

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Last weekend the All Blacks suffered a grueling 26-10 loss to South Africa in their opening game of the Rugby Championship. The loss meant that the men in black had lost five of their last six tests and were in the midst of an unwanted three-game losing run.

As a result, they dropped below England in the ranking pecking order to assume their lowest-ever spot in the table.

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However, after last night’s impressive 35-23 win over South Africa at Ellis Park, New Zealand have overtaken Eddie Jones’ side to reclaim fourth. Unbelievably, had their winning margin been greater than 15 points, New Zealand would have also moved above South Africa, who remain third with a miniscule ranking cushion of 0.02 points.

If the Springboks had won, they would have climbed above France into second, but instead they now have a slight gap between them and fourth.

The pressure is still very much on New Zealand head coach Ian Foster, but the win in Johannesburg has no doubt eased the attack on his tenure and brought back a bit of dignity to a team that was spirally towards disaster.

New Zealand will have a week off before embarking on a two-test matchup with Argentina, who claimed a famous victory over Australia yesterday.

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Los Pumas recorded their highest ever win over the Wallabies with a comprehensive 48-17 battering. The result means all four teams in the Rugby Championships have a win to their name and gives Michael Cheika’s side some momentum heading into their upcoming tests against New Zealand.

Unfortunately for Argentina, the famous win did not alter their world ranking position. They are still ninth, yet have edged closer to Australia who dropped below Scotland into seventh as a result of losing by a margin greater than 15 points.

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This equals their lowest ever ranking and means another southern-hemisphere nation enters unwanted territory in the world rugby ranking stratosphere. The Wallabies will need a result in their upcoming test against South Africa if they are to move up once more.

The All Blacks were last ranked best in the world for a brief period in 2021 and have a long way to go if they are to dethrone Ireland.

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H
Hellhound 2 hours ago
Bok rule-benders are changing the game. They deserve respect

You want a lot of things that will never happen. You describe rugby League. You should go and watch that then. Rugby is supposed to be competitive. It's the opposition team that should figure out how to defend and turn it into an attack on the fly. The Boks play within the rules. Everyone says that kick off should have been a penalty. The law state that from a kick off it's a scrum. It's confusing as with mauls and rucks, the player has to be behind the kicker. The same does not hold true for kick offs. That law they can change, because the same rule should apply across the board for players to be behind the kicker. It's not the first time that the infield lineout has been used, only the first time in an international match. If I remember correctly, the Barbarians used it against England in 2021 or 2022 (under correction). It's also been used in SR during the 2000’s. There is just this big hoo haw because the Boks did it. If it was another team like the Irish or England or the French or someone, it would be innovative, genius and brilliant. The dummy the AB's did where a player broke to the right, acting like he had the ball, meanwhile the scrumhalfs ran down the sideline and scored. I don't hear you cry about that. That can be seen as cynical play and there is even a case for unsportsmanlike behaviour and at a minimum a yellow card. Yet there is silence from you about that. I on the other hand thought that was a great tactic. It's also not a new invention, but an old one. You only love rugby when it suits you. I don't care what new tactics teams use, or whoever the team is that is doing it. Every new invention or tactic or play that the coaches comes up with is great for rugby. It keeps it interesting. There is no law that prevents other coaches using the same tactics or create their own. It's up to coaches to come up with defense strategies to cut that down, and even retaliate against it. The game is never boring. It keeps evolving. People keep talking about rugby and all these things is what draw new fans. They don't want boring. They want innovative and fun. They want to hear the crash of bodies. They want to see the strength of the scrums. They want to see the speed, agility and flair of the players. The amazing passes and jukes or side steps. The only reason you are so up in arms is because the Boks did it and now you want it banned. The same rhyme over and over. Matt Williams wannabe. Nah, you don't love rugby or else you would enjoy the most exciting era yet in this lovely sport. Stars in so many national teams has never been more abundant nor was there so many teams that could beat each other on any given day. Not to even mention watching an era of the most controversial but most innovative and clever coach ever. A dynasty that's to last for a very long time even after he retires. Like him or hate him, his genius is undeniable and he is recognised world wide as the best coach in most countries by fans and pundits alike, even if they don't like him. Stop the hate and rather enjoy what's to come.

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