As many as three teams, South Africa, New Zealand and Ireland, could finish theThe men’s and women’s World Rugby Rankings are calculated using a points exchange system, in which sides take points off each other based on the match result. Whatever one side gains, the other loses. With every team in the top 20 in action bar Samoa there could be a lot of movement this weekend. weekend at number one in the rankings. However, South Africa is guaranteed to stay on top if they beat England at Allianz Stadium on Saturday.
New Zealand will replace South Africa at number one if they beat France at the Stade de France and the Springboks fail to win. It would be the first time the All Blacks sit atop the rankings since the Rugby World Cup 2019 semi-final.
Ireland needs to beat Argentina in the weekend’s opening Autumn Nations Series match on Friday and hope that both South Africa and New Zealand lose if they are to immediately return to number one in the world.
Back-to-back home defeats for Ireland will see them slip another place to fourth if the margin is by more than 15 points and both South Africa and New Zealand are victorious.
In this scenario, Argentina will climb two places to third and make up the first all-southern hemisphere top three since 8 November 2021 (then New Zealand, South Africa, and Australia).
Ireland will drop two places for the second week running – to fifth – if they lose by more than 15 points and France repeat their Rugby World Cup 2023 opening match victory over New Zealand. This will be regardless of the England vs South Africa result.
With Scotland unable to improve their rating by beating Portugal this weekend – as a result of the 13.88 points difference between the teams before home weighting is factored in – then England only need to draw with South Africa to displace their Calcutta Cup rivals in sixth.
England cannot go any higher, though, even if the beat the world champions by more than 15 points as the gap between themselves and a beaten France or Argentina is too large to overcome.
Australia’s forward momentum could continue this weekend, but they would need to beat Wales by more than 15 points in Cardiff and England to lose by the same margin.
This would lift the Wallabies above England into seventh, but they could jump another place if Scotland also failed to beat Portugal in Edinburgh. This would see England equal their lowest-ever rating of eighth.
For Italy to recover one of the two places they lost in defeat to Argentina last weekend, they need to beat Georgia and hope that Fiji slip up against the lower-ranked Spain.
A record 11th straight defeat for Wales will see them drop to an all-time low of 12th if Georgia avoids defeat in Italy. They cannot fall any lower, although Japan will leapfrog Samoa into 13th if they come out on top against Uruguay in France.
Georgia can enter the top 10 for the first time since the rankings were introduced in October 2003 if they beat the Azzurri by more than 15 points – unless Wales wins by the same margin.
Portugal can only improve to 15th place with a first-ever win over Scotland if Japan lose to Uruguay. A draw for Japan would need Portugal to win by more than 15 points to go to 14th.
While Portugal cannot lose any points in defeat, they could still slip from 15th if their Iberian neighbours Spain upset Fiji or the USA beat Tonga by more than 15 points.
Such a defeat for Tonga could see them fall another place to 19th depending on the results of teams around them.
Recent Posts
- Consistency In 2025 Varsity Cup Key For The Determined FNB CUT Ixias
- FNB UCT Ikeys Looking To Go One Step Further In FNB Varsity Cup 2025
- Monster Boks
- Win Over DHL Stormers Will Boost Emirates Lions’ Confidence For The Next Three Matches
- Glasgow Warriors Beat Dragons RFC In Try Fest
- Jacobs And Makua Join Springbok Women In Stellenbosch
- Bulls Daisies And Sanlam Boland Dames Lead The Pack At Halfway Stage
- “The Emirates Lions Just Would Not Go Away, So Credit To Them.” – John Dobson
- Hollywoodbets Sharks Passed Depth-test Against Vodacom Bulls
- FNB NWU Eagles Confident To Correct Last Season’s Mistakes In Varsity Cup
- New-look FNB UFS Shimlas Ready To Go To Battle And Defend Their Crown
- Vodacom Bulls’ Lack Of Speed At The Back A Major Concern
- Cardiff Rugby Denied Comeback Win Over Connacht Rugby
- Benetton Rugby Secured A Bonus Point Win Over Ill-Disciplined Ulster Rugby
- Dominant Munster Rugby Claim Win Over Scarlets At Thomond Park