Latest World Rugby rankings: All Blacks dethrone Springboks at the summit after dominant Greatest Rivalry victory
All Blacks lock Fabian Holland and the latest World Rugby rankings.
The All Blacks have returned to the summit of the World Rugby rankings following their 33-16 victory over the Springboks at Ellis Park.
South Africa lost 1.75 rating points because of the defeat, the same tally that New Zealand gained, which is enough to see them reclaim the number one ranking.
All Blacks replace the Springboks at the top
The victor in Johannesburg was always going to end the weekend as the top-ranked team in the world. However, the 17-point winning margin for Dave Rennie’s charges means that New Zealand earned the maximum amount of rating points that were on offer.
The All Blacks now have a 1.82-point lead over South Africa, who have dropped into second place in the rankings.
Rennie’s men outscored the Springboks five tries to South Africa’s one, with Will Jordan scoring twice while Josh Moorby, Fabian Holland and Luke Jacobson all crossing the whitewash in the victory. Andre Esterhuizen scored South Africa’s only try of the game with Cheslin Kolbe kicking the remainder of the Boks’ points.
The two nations will collide again in Cape Town next weekend, where the top ranking will once again be put on the line as South Africa can return to the summit with a victory of any kind.
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Latest World Rugby rankings
1 New Zealand 94.03 (+1.75)
2 South Africa 92.21 (-1.75)
3 Ireland 88.08
4 France 87.43
5 England 85.68
6 Scotland 84.78
7 Argentina 83.13
8 Australia 82.67
9 Fiji 78.00
10 Wales 76.38
11 Italy 76.30
12 Japan 75.36
13 Georgia 73.94
14 USA 70.22
15 Portugal 69.39
16 Chile 66.94
17 Spain 66.83
18 Uruguay 65.75
19 Tonga 65.14
20 Samoa 64.73
