Would the Wallabies deserve ninth spot on the rankings following Bledisloe defeat?
The World Rugby rankings might be a questionable method of assessing teams’ standings on the international circuit but it’s fair to say that Australia are certainly in a dark place at present.
Following their loss to the Springboks in Sydney, the Wallabies dropped to a historic low of eighth on the rankings – falling below Argentina, who were thumped by 50 points in Hamilton by the All Blacks.
If Australia can’t bounce back in next weekend’s Bledisloe Cup clash with NZ, who have stumbled upon at least some semblance of form, they will drop a further spot to ninth.
Are the Wallabies really the eighth or ninth-best team in the world at present?
While the competition for top ranks has perhaps never been more hard-fought – with every team in the top 10 seemingly capable of besting one another on any given day – the last month of action has probably highlighted how dependant Australia currently are on a few talismanic performers.
Quade Cooper and Samu Kerevi were integral to the Wallabies’ run of good form during last year’s competition, with Australia recording four wins on the trot when those two were available for action. Without Cooper and Kerevi on deck, the Wallabies scraped a 2-1 series win over a France side lacking the vast majority of their top players, were whitewashed by the All Blacks in the three Bledisloe fixtures, and then fell to three defeats on their end-of-year tour, only managing to bank a win against Japan.
A pair of wins over England and South Africa aside, 2022 has gotten off to another disappointing start and with Cooper and Kerevi both out of action for the remainder of the season thanks to long-term injuries. With Michael Hooper also unavailable – and set to miss his team’s final two Rugby Championship matches, that ninth spot on the rankings beckons – and things likely won’t get any easier on this year’s northern tour.
The Wallabies are set to play Scotland, France, Italy and Ireland over consecutive weekends in October and November and it would take a brave man to bet on Australia grabbing more than one win on that run of fixtures. Italy may remain easy beats of the top echelon but Scotland have proven themselves a formidable side in recent times (and earned a hard-fought 15-13 victory over the Wallabies in Edinburgh last year). France and Ireland, meanwhile, are perhaps the two leading sides in the world game (and are ranked accordingly) and after both dispelling the All Blacks over the past 12 months, will be looking to add some more Southern Hemisphere scalps to their collection.
Rugby Championship rivals Argentina and South Africa have shared the spoils with Australia this year and while the former may be at a similar level to the Wallabies, the Springboks showed in their victory in Sydney with an understrength side that even the hoodoo of playing in Australia couldn’t keep them down for long. New Zealand will also be expected to enact further pain on their trans-Tasman rivals in Melbourne and Auckland.
And what of England and Wales? Both sides have grabbed wins over Australia in the past 12 months and would likely fancy their chances whether home or away and both could find themselves squaring off with the green-and-golds at next year’s Rugby World Cup.
Michael Hooper’s addition for the Wallabies’ trip north will no doubt help their case while having both Quade Cooper and Samu Kerevi back on deck for the flagship tournament in 2023 will do the side wonders but while international rugby has perhaps need been more hotly contested at the highest levels of the game, it appears that the Wallabies are currently sitting exactly where they belong on the world rankings.
Comments on RugbyPass
Good to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
7 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
7 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
7 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
14 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
19 Go to comments