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Ireland could yet have last laugh on World Rugby Men's Rankings
By Ian Cameron
Ireland could theoretically return to the No.1 spot in the World Rugby Men's Rankings this weekend, despite being eliminated from the Rugby World Cup last weekend by New Zealand.
The All Blacks also stand on the precipice of regaining the coveted number one spot if they emerge victorious against Argentina, coupled with a potential South African loss to England.
The All Blacks, who have not held the top-ranking since November 2021, could see the Springboks tumble two places down to third in this dramatic scenario.
However, should both South Africa and New Zealand falter in their quests for a record fourth Rugby World Cup triumph, the top spot will be ceded back to Ireland.
A narrow defeat for the South Africans would still see them relinquish one place, slipping to second, with England surging ahead to fourth place, leaving New Zealand behind.
Argentina also have rankings skin in the game. A triumph against New Zealand would propel them up the rankings, with a potential leap to third place, a position they have not occupied since June 2008. To achieve this, they must secure a victory against the All Blacks by a margin exceeding 15 points, while hoping for an equivalent winning margin for England.
In such a scenario, England could vault to second place, while South Africa and New Zealand would tumble to fifth and sixth, respectively. For New Zealand, this would represent an unprecedented low, marking their worst-ever ranking of fifth.
This seismic shift in rankings would be historic, as it would be the first time since the rankings' inception in October 2003 that both South Africa and New Zealand find themselves outside the top four. England, in contrast, would ascend to second place, a ranking they have not enjoyed since February 2021.
The drama doesn't end there. South Africa faces the risk of sliding down to fifth if they suffer a loss to England by a margin exceeding 15 points. On the flip side, victory for both New Zealand and South Africa would set the stage for a thrilling rematch of the Rugby World Cup 1995 final, with no changes in the rankings.
South Africa's potential gain is limited, with a maximum increase of 0.46 points if they manage to overcome England, while New Zealand has the opportunity to narrow the gap by earning up to 0.65 points for defeating Los Pumas.
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Latest Comments
33, unlikely?
It’s actually an interesting question, how does his RL career impact you perception of his ‘rugby age’?
I’d imagine he’s fresher than a 26 yo rugby player, he’s fitting and done more k’s, but had less impacts (unsure of his injuries).
Anyway, your conclusion doesn’t really hit the mark. What you’ve not asked yourself is would he be better at 33, with 6 years under his belt, than 28/9, and only 2 years experience. If he really is considering it a major goal of course, he may just want an Olympic medal and leave etc.
Still, in relation to your topic, what I suspected would be his thinking is the ever increasing value in playing in Japan. Perhaps he’d try and give this first WC a go, trying to make it in the All Blacks, obviously playing Super Rugby, then he’d take a much bigger contract in Japan? Learn how to run around people with better accuracy and consistency (rofl), and then return to NZ as an improved player to Australia 2027, with the hope to fine tune further and make the most of his marketability in the bonanza that America 2031 is going to leave behind. 33 is still prime earning age and who knows what the MLR market is going to be like them, if teams have started to have major backers etc.
It’s all about the money afterall (yes, I wasn’t referring to his ability re USA31’)!
Go to commentsNo, just an overly zealous fan who doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
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