The latest official World Rugby Men’s Rankings have been released following a highly competitive opening weekend of the inaugural Nations Championship and Nations Cup.
South Africa’s 45-21 win over England yielded no ranking reward due to the points differential, allowing New Zealand to close the gap at the top. The All Blacks gained 0.71 points from their 34-32 victory over France, narrowing the gap with the Springboks to just 2.90 points.
Five teams climbed the rankings: Scotland, Chile, USA, Samoa, and Canada. Gregor Townsend’s Scotland side secured an impressive 47-38 victory over Argentina in Córdoba, equalling their best-ever position of fifth. This win triggered the only shuffle in the top 13, pushing England down to sixth and dropping Los Pumas to seventh.
Ireland made small gains from their 33-31 win against Australia, while France, England, and Australia remain in fourth, sixth, and eighth, respectively, after opening defeats.
Fiji and Italy held onto ninth and 10th despite losses to Wales and Japan, who both remain outside the top 10.
Elsewhere:
* The USA rose two places to 14th — their highest position since RWC 2019 — after a dramatic 30-29 win over Portugal.
* Chile climbed one spot to 17th (equalling their highest-ever ranking) following a 48-31 victory over Romania.
* Samoa moved up to 18th after thumping Hong Kong China 66-19.
* Canada improved to 23rd despite a 42-42 draw with Spain.
Spain were the biggest fallers, dropping three places to 20th, their lowest position since January 2024, after the high-scoring draw. Defeats saw Portugal (15th), Uruguay (16th), Hong Kong China (24th), and Zimbabwe (25th) each slip one place.
