World Rankings: All Blacks fall, Eagles soar

South Africa’s advantage at the top of the World Rugby Men’s Rankings has been increased to two points after Saturday’s 29-20 win over England, but their nearest rivals are now Ireland, not New Zealand.

The Springboks increased their rating to 92.78 points, while Ireland beat Argentina 22-19, which puts them second on 90.78 points. Meanwhile, the All Blacks were edged out, 30-29 by France, and their new rating of 90.09 points drops them down to third,

Fourth-placed France have moved to within two points of breaking into the top three following their win in Paris, while the rest of the positions in the top 10 remain the same with Georgia unable to force their way in despite getting off to a promising start in their match against Italy.

The Lelos led 17-6 at half-time in Genoa but Italy reeled off 14 points in the second half to stave off defeat and win 20-17. Georgia would have moved into the top 10 for the first time in history had they avoided defeat because Wales were subsequently beaten 52-20 by Australia in the later of the two Sunday kick-offs.

While Wales’ record 11th straight loss did not lead to them dropping to an all-time rankings low of 12th, the gap between themselves and the Lelos is down to just 0.16 of a point.

The USA produced one of three best results outside of the top 10 and gained one place as a result of their 36-17 win against Tonga. The Eagles have replaced Portugal, who were well beaten by Scotland, in 15th, which is their highest position since Rugby World Cup 2019. Japan also claimed one place, to move to 13th, after beating Uruguay 36-20.

The biggest climbers were the Netherlands, whose steady progress under Lyn Jones continued with a 20-17 win against last year’s Rugby World Cup debutants Chile. The Dutch, who will be hoping to make their tournament debut in Australia in 2027, have surged up the rankings to 24th, a gain of three places.

This is what the Top 10 of the World Rugby Men’s Rankings will look when they are officially updated at 12:00 GMT on Monday:

1. South Africa 92.78 (+0.32)
2. Ireland 90.78 (+0.20)
3. New Zealand 90.09 (-1.13)
4. France 88.08 (+1.13)
5. Argentina 85.40 (-0.20)
6. Scotland 82.70 (-)
7. England 82.31 (-0.32)
8. Australia 82.17 (+1.04)
9. Fiji 80.07 (+0.01)
10. Italy 78.92 (+0.24)