Springbok Women lose ground in World Rugby rankings after second Ireland loss

The Springbok Women have dropped back to 10th in the World Rugby rankings following their 38-17 defeat to Ireland at Athlone Stadium.

South Africa were undone by a hat-trick from Béibhinn Parsons, a brace from Aoife Dalton and a try from Erin King, capping a difficult WXV Global Series campaign for the hosts.

Across September and October, the Springbok Women secured victories over Italy and Spain but suffered back-to-back defeats to Ireland before losing to Wales. Ireland, meanwhile, have retained fifth place in the rankings.

Following the latest defeat, Springbok Women assistant coach Franzel September offered an honest assessment of his team’s performance.

“That was disappointing of course, but that also gave us a reality check on what is needed to trade blows with the number five team in the world,” he said. “They were clinical when they entered our red zone and made every entry count.”

At the start of 2026, South Africa had set their sights on breaking into the World Rugby rankings’ top 10. They achieved that milestone despite a 40-27 defeat to Ireland, but have now slipped behind Scotland to reclaim 10th place.

There were no other changes in the women’s rankings. England, meanwhile, avoided the possibility of dropping as low as third by securing a thumping 55-12 victory over the USA Women’s Eagles at Sports Illustrated Stadium on Friday night.

The Red Roses maintained top spot, with Claudia Moloney-MacDonald marking her return to the starting XV with four tries in New Jersey. Meg Jones, Mia Venner, Bryony Field, Maddie Feaunati and Sadia Kabeya also crossed the tryline in the win.

The Black Ferns retained second place following their 36-7 victory over France, while Wales remained 11th after beating Japan 29-5 in Kumagaya on Saturday.

With the women’s international Test window now closed, there will be no further movement in the World Rugby women’s rankings until 2027.