South Africa’s return to the summit of the World Rugby rankings on the back of a convincing win against Scotland marks a strong statement for the world champions.
The Springboks moved up to No 1 after Sunday’s 32-15 victory at Murrayfield, displacing Ireland following the latter’s defeat to New Zealand in Dublin.
Heading into the clash, the South Africans knew a draw would suffice to reclaim the lead, but the victory added a satisfying 0.69 rating points, putting them at a comfortable 92.46 points and solidifying a 1.25-point edge over the second-ranked All Blacks.
Ireland, whose loss bumped them to third, were one of several teams affected by significant shuffling. Southern hemisphere teams largely outplayed their northern rivals, with Argentina’s 50-point thrashing of Italy vaulting Los Pumas into fifth. Meanwhile, France remains steady in fourth following a dominant win for Les Bleus over Japan.
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Elsewhere, England’s thrilling 42-37 loss to the Wallabies dropped them to seventh, their lowest since 2016, while Scotland climbed to sixth.
Australia’s win pushed them to eighth, and Fiji’s historic 28-17 win over Wales in Cardiff elevated the Pacific Islanders to ninth, relegating Italy to 10th. The Welsh, enduring their longest-ever losing streak, hold a lowly 11th.
In other international action, the US ascended to 16th after edging Portugal, while Spain climbed to 17th by defeating Uruguay. Romania’s win over Tonga bumped their points yet held them at 20th, and Chile comfortably beat Canada but remained 21st.
Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images
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