In arguably the most highly-anticipated Six Nations fixture so far in the tournament, log-leaders Ireland will next host fourth-ranked France on Saturday, 8 March (16:15 kick-off SA time).
This match will offer up some decent ranking points, especially if Ireland could manage to claim a victory margin of more than 15 points.
Ireland will be hoping for a Grand Slam success in the Six Nations, having comfortably won the first three games this season, but can they do enough to overtake the Springboks in the world rankings?
As it stands, Ireland are 1.42 points behind the South Africa, and they can close that gap to 0.88 if they can claim a big win over France by more than 15 points.
However, they ultimately won’t be able to overtake the Springboks considering that no rankings points will be on offer when they face 10th-ranked Italy, no matter the margin of a likely victory.
In fact, a heavy defeat for Ireland this Saturday could see them drop to fourth with France climbing to third, but there is no doubt that the Irish will be favourites this weekend.
CURRENT WORLD RUGBY RANKINGS AS IRELAND CAN CLOSE IN ON SPRINGBOKS
| RANK | COUNTRY | POINTS |
| 1 | South Africa | 92.78 |
| 2 | Ireland | 91.36 |
| 3 | New Zealand | 90.36 |
| 4 | France | 87.86 |
| 5 | Argentina | 84.97 |
| 6 | England | 84.26 |
| 7 | Scotland | 82.36 |
| 8 | Australia | 81.52 |
| 9 | Fiji | 80.07 |
| 10 | Italy | 78.00 |
| 11 | Georgia | 74.69 |
| 12 | Wales | 73.75 |
| 13 | Japan | 72.95 |
| 14 | Samoa | 72.68 |
| 15 | USA | 70.02 |
| 16 | Portugal | 68.30 |
| 17 | Spain | 67.34 |
| 18 | Uruguay | 67.06 |
| 19 | Tonga | 65.46 |
| 20 | Romania | 62.76 |
SIX NATIONS 2025 FIXTURES
ROUND 4
Saturday, 8 March
Ireland vs France
Scotland vs Wales
Sunday, 9 March
England vs Italy
ROUND 5
Saturday, 15 March
Italy vs Ireland
Wales vs England
France vs Scotland
Ticket sales
Remember, if you want to catch the Springboks take on Argentina in this year’s Rugby Championship in Twickenham, tickets are now on sale!
Tickets are on sale via Ticketmaster.co.uk and England Rugby, starting from just £55* for adults and £28* for Under-16s.
Hospitality packages are also available on www.allianzstadiumtwickenham.com
(*booking fees apply)
WHO DO YOU THINK WILL WIN THE TOURNAMENT THIS YEAR?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211.
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Src: TheSouthAfrican.com - https://rugga.co.za/springboks/is-springboks-no-1-world-ranking-spot-under-threat/
