World rankings gap widens as top four breakaway

With each of the world’s leading men’s teams playing at least 11 Tests and others such as Fiji and Japan getting more fixtures thanks to the reimagined Asahi Super Dry Pacific Nations Cup, it has been a full-on year of international rugby.

The twelve-month period following a Rugby World Cup tournament can sometimes feel anti-climatic but with so much rugby played and a host of new stars emerging, 2024 has felt different.

One thing, however, that has largely stayed the same is the top 10 of the world rankings, with nine of those who started the busiest of years amongst the elite maintaining their status.

South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand and France occupied the top four then, as they do now, and in the same order. But the gap between Les Bleus and the chasing pack has widened from 2.35 to 3.54 points. England were the closest to the top four at the turn of the year but as things stand, it is Argentina who are leading the charge.

The Springboks’ lead over Ireland at the top of the rankings over the last twelve months has actually been cut from 3.97 points to just two, with their rating falling from 94.54 points on January 1st to just two in the end-of-year standings, despite losing only two games by a point, winning their first Rugby Championship since 2019 and producing a clean sweep of wins on an end-of-year European tour for the first time in 11 years.

Six Nations Grand Slam winners Ireland managed to marginally increase their rating, by two-tenths of a point, while New Zealand and France also experienced sub-one-point gains.

England fell from fifth to seventh, losing 3,15 points along the way, Scotland stayed rock solid in sixth – but with a fractionally worse rating, while Argentina climbed two places to fifth after gaining 4.29 points on the back of their best-ever Rugby Championship campaign.

Revitalised by the Joe Schmidt effect as the year wore on, Australia have moved up one place to eighth and have 4.04 points more than they did when they kicked off the year licking their wounds from a disastrous showing at Rugby World Cup 2023.

In what has been their annus horribilis, Wales are the only team to drop out of the top 10, on the back of a loss of 6.63 rating points, and their place has been taken by Italy, who kicked off 2024 in 11th.

In winning the Pacific Nations Cup and beating Wales away for the first time in history – and with a new coaching group – Fiji can look back on 2024 with a few more positives than negatives in 2024.

While the heavy defeats at the hands of New Zealand, Scotland and Ireland were disappointing, they still did enough over the course of the year to move up from 10th to ninth, with an improved rating of 80.07 points.

World Rugby Men’s Rankings Top 10 (as of Monday, December 2nd)

1. South Africa 92.78 (94.54)
2. Ireland 90.78 (90.57)
3. New Zealand 90.36 (89.80)
4. France 88.51 (87.81)
5. Argentina 84.97 (80.68)
6. Scotland 83.34 (83.43)
7. England 82.31 (85.46)
8. Australia 81.52 (77.48)
9. Fiji 80.07 (76.38)
10. Italy 78.64 (75.93)

*January 1st, 2024 rating in brackets)