Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

Rugby World Cup power rankings: Week three's movers and shakers

By Alex Shaw
Adam Hastings celebrates as a Scotland win against Russia keeps their Rugby World Cup alive. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

The pool stages of the 2019 Rugby World Cup are beginning to wrap up and there has been further movement in RugbyPass’ power rankings from week two, as a number of sides have now concluded their group stage campaigns.

ADVERTISEMENT

Both South Africa and England have maintained their early form, putting pressure on New Zealand at the top, whilst Argentina were the first of the tier one nations to have their exit from the tournament confirmed, following their 39-10 loss to England.

Check out the latest movement below, as we gear up for the final weekend of the pool stages from Japan and the beginning of the knockout rounds.

  1. New Zealand (Previous rank: 1)

The All Blacks’ final game of the group comes against Italy on Saturday, in what should prove to be a step up in competition from their games against Canada and Namibia. Steve Hansen’s side are chugging along nicely and should cruise into the quarter-finals, where they could meet Ireland.

Continue reading below…

Watch: Hawkeye is on World Rugby’s radar

Video Spacer

  1. England (Previous rank: 2)

A red card to Tomas Lavanini didn’t help Los Pumas test England and Eddie Jones and his charges ended up cruising to a comfortable 39-10 win over the South American side. England are yet to be really challenged in the tournament, although they have looked professional and not short of firepower in all three wins so far.

  1. South Africa (Previous rank: 3)

The Springboks looked as though they might put 100 points on Canada on Tuesday, only for the North Americans to tighten up in the second half. Nevertheless, South Africa look in a good place going into the quarter-finals and they have an extended rest period before they take on their knockout round opponents which, in a potentially salivating Rugby World Cup rematch, could be Japan.

https://twitter.com/RugbyPass/status/1181569112511848449?s=20

  1. Wales (Previous rank: 4)

Warren Gatland’s side just hold on to fourth spot following their 29-17 win over Fiji, although it was a performance arguably short of the standards they would be looking to impose at this point in time. Fiji were unlucky not to take more from the game, although Wales are now in complete control of Pool D going into their final game with Uruguay.

  1. Japan (Previous rank: 5)

The hosts might not be the most talented team on paper or have the most extensive depth in their player pool, but they are showing good handling skills, an all-round game and an unsurprising ability to deal with the weather conditions. It could be winner takes all when they play Scotland on Sunday, should Ireland not slip up before then.

  1. Ireland (Previous rank: 6)

Ireland haven’t played since the last power rankings and there has been little opportunity for them to move up or down. Their quarter-final hopes are in their own hands, they just have to avoid the banana skin that Samoa represent in Fukuoka on Saturday.

  1. Australia (Previous rank: 7)

The Wallabies were professional in their defeat of Uruguay on Saturday, although there were a number of chances that went spurned and they were on the fortuitous end of the referee’s whistle. Their final pool game comes against Georgia on Friday

  1. France (Previous rank: 8)

France are winning, which you could argue is all that matters, though their performances have left a lot to be desired. They were pushed right to the brink by Tonga at the weekend and although their place in the quarter-finals is already secured, they do not currently look like a team that can make it to the semi-finals. Of course, with captain Guilhem Guirado reportedly at the heart of a player mutiny in Japan, anything is possible for Les Bleus.

https://twitter.com/RugbyPass/status/1181336242748678144?s=20

  1. Scotland (Previous rank: 11, up 2)

Consummately saw off Russia with a heavily rotated side on Wednesday, backing up the retaliation their first XV showed against Samoa the week before. Though there are still plenty of areas that Gregor Townsend’s side need to improve if they are to make the knockout rounds, they at least head towards their game against Japan with renewed confidence and some measure of momentum.

  1. Fiji (Previous rank: 12, up 2)

The Flying Fijians move up two spots despite losing to Wales thanks to the ability they showed in that contest, as well as how competitive they made the game. It was a truer reflection of where Fiji are currently in their development than the losses to Uruguay or Australia showed.

https://twitter.com/RugbyPass/status/1181707069361012737?s=20

  1. Argentina (Previous rank: 9, down 2)

The first tier one nation to be knocked out of the tournament, this has been a campaign to forget for Argentina. After losing the crunch match with France at the beginning of the Rugby World Cup, they laboured against Tonga and were well beaten by England. They finally fired some shots against the USA, though they were still short of convincing.

  1. Tonga (Previous rank: 14, up 2)

The Sea Eagles have really done themselves proud in this Rugby World Cup and after coming closer to an upset against Argentina than the scoreline illustrated, they gave France a mighty scare on Sunday. Although they have yet to win, they have exceeded pre-tournament expectations and should go into their final game with the USA as favourites based on form over the past few weeks.

ADVERTISEMENT

  1. Italy (Previous rank: 10, down 3)

The 49-3 loss to South Africa was a wake-up moment for the Azzurri, who had looked comfortable previously against the tier two opposition in their pool. They were comfortably outplayed by the Springboks and now have one last shot at coming away from the tournament with a major scalp, as they play the All Blacks on Saturday.

  1. Georgia (Previous rank: 13, down 1)

In all honesty, Georgia have struggled to live up to expectations as potential giant killers out in Japan. They were comfortably beaten by Wales and Fiji and their last shot at taking something tangible away from the tournament comes when they meet Australia in Shizuoka on Friday. Anything short of a win should see them miss out on automatic qualification for the 2023 tournament, too.

  1. Uruguay (Previous rank: 16, up 1)

Los Teros were unlucky to rack up a 35-point deficit against Australia, as the South Americans caused the Wallabies a number of issues and were unfortunately on the wrong end of some questionable calls from the officials in Oita. They have shown they do not lack for individual ability in this tournament and have one last shot against Wales to leave a mark.

Uruguay will be hoping Juan Manuel Cat can once again be influential when they take on Wales. (Photo by Ken Ishii/Getty Images)

  1. Samoa (Previous rank: 15, down 1)

Japan started slowly against Samoa on Saturday and the door was ajar for the Pacific Island nation to potentially trouble the hosts. The challenge didn’t come, however, and Samoa’s last chance of springing an upset victory comes against Ireland in Fukuoka. In contrast to a young Uruguayan group that looks to be on the up, the ageing Samoan side will need to go into a rebuild post-Rugby World Cup.

  1. USA (Previous rank: 17)

The USA finally offered some incision in attack when they played Argentina on Wednesday, although they were still comfortably beaten. Their final game of the tournament looms and beating Tonga would put a silver lining on a campaign where the USA Eagles have looked, unsurprisingly, significantly short of the tier one teams.

  1. Russia (Previous rank: 18)

After coming into the tournament as the widely regarded 20th ranked team, Russia have shown their teeth at times over the last few weeks. Their loss to Scotland on Wednesday consigned them to a clean sweep of defeats in the pool stage, though they had their moments against Japan, Ireland and Scotland, not to mention some very valid grumbles with the officiating from their game with Samoa.

  1. Namibia (Previous rank: 19)

The Namibians were on the wrong end of a heavy loss to New Zealand on Sunday, though they have shown flashes of their ability over their first two games. Their crunch game comes against Canada in Kamaishi on Sunday, in what should prove to be the definitive answer over who avoids bottom spot in the final rankings.

  1. Canada (Previous rank: 20)

It’s been a tough Rugby World Cup for Canada, who are yet to register a point and their points difference of -163 is comfortably the worst at the tournament. They put in an impressive 14-man shift in the second half of their game with South Africa, holding them to a 19-7 loss after the interval, although it has to be mitigated by the 47 unanswered points they shipped in the first 40 minutes.

Watch: Exceptional Stories: Ed Jackson

Video Spacer
ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

A
Adrian 1 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

8 Go to comments
T
Trevor 3 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
B
Bull Shark 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

29 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING 'I didn't think it would happen this early': Carbery on Munster exit 'I didn't think it would happen this early': Carbery on Munster exit
Search