'One-week wonders': Dave Rennie's All Blacks on World Rankings shortlist

Only one week after climbing to No.1 in the World Rugby Men’s Rankings, the All Blacks were removed from their lofty perch by South Africa as a result of the Springboks’ 33-26 win in Cape Town in the second Test of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.

In falling from grace so swiftly, they became only the fifth team in the 23-year history of the rankings to have the very briefest of stays as the world’s best team. Not that Dave Rennie cares a jot, he’s publicly said so.

New Zealand have suffered this fate three times, at first when the rankings were only a month in the making as a system for measuring the relative strength of teams competing in Test rugby. That was during RWC 2003 when they dethroned England one week before the same thing was done to them by the eventual winners seven days later.

It happened to the All Blacks again, on 7 July, 2008, with South Africa their nemesis on that occasion.

Those teams continued to jockey for rankings supremacy in the years that followed, before New Zealand had a near 10-year hold on top spot. Since 2019, though, the rankings leadership has changed much more frequently, with Wales, France and Ireland all rising to the top for the first time.

Wales managed a fortnight at No.1, on the eve of RWC 2019, while England, having beaten New Zealand in a the tournament’s semi-final, went from No.1 to No.2 in the blink of an eye when South Africa lifted the Webb Ellis Cup at their expense.

Until New Zealand last weekend, France were the last team to check out after they had barely had time to check in, enjoying just seven days in the sun between 11-18 July, 2022.

South Africa could join the list, as a defeat to the All Blacks in Johannesburg this Saturday will see another changing of the guard.

Shortest World Ranking stays at No.1:

10-17 November, 2003: New Zealand
7-14 July, 2008: New Zealand
28 Oct-4 Nov, 2019: England
11-18 July, 2022: France
23-28 Aug, 2026: New Zealand