Latest World Rugby rankings: Springboks lead the way ahead of Nations Championship
The latest look at the World Rugby rankings ahead of the Nations Championship
South Africa head into the Nations Championship at the top of the World Rugby rankings, with Rassie Erasmus’ side looking to pull clear of the chasing pack this July.
The Springboks sit 3.61 points above the second-placed All Blacks ahead of the inaugural Nations Championship Tests next month, but will need to get the better of England, Scotland and Wales to lock in their spot at the top.
Elsewhere, Ireland are the highest-ranked team from the Northern Hemisphere, despite France winning the Six Nations earlier this year.
Springboks top World Rugby rankings ahead of Nations Championship
Les Bleus also come into the Nations Championship eyeing a climb up the rankings, particularly given they sit below their Six Nations rivals, and are just 1.61 points off Ireland ahead of the upcoming block. Interestingly, both sides face Australia, Japan and New Zealand this July as well.
There is somewhat of a gap between them and the rest of the top 10; however, there could also be some changes here next month. At the time of writing, Argentina hold fifth spot in the rankings on 84.97, but sixth-placed England are hot on their tails with 83.91 ranking points and come into the Nations Championship looking to climb back up the table after a disappointing Six Nations campaign.
Scotland sit in seventh, but are just 1.01 points behind Steve Borthwick’s side on 82.90, while the Wallabies, Fiji and Italy close out the top 10, sitting on 81.53, 81.14 and 79.64, respectively.
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Wales face a tough challenge to climb back into the top 10, with them sat 4.57 points behind the Azzurri on 75.07, but could extend their gap on 12th placed Japan and 13th placed Georgia this July, with that duo on 74.09 and 71.48, respectively.
Rugby Europe Championship winners Portugal, Uruguay, USA, Spain, Chile, Tonga and Samoa round off the top 20.
Ahead of the Nations Championship, World Rugby also announced a ‘significant’ change to the rankings system, with the ‘home weighting’ aspect removed for both the men’s and women’s rankings.
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This will come into effect from July 1, 2026.
Latest World Rugby rankings
(As of 25/6/25 before the Nations Championship)
1 South Africa 93.94
2 New Zealand 90.33
3 Ireland 89.07
4 France 87.46
5 Argentina 84.97
6 England 83.91
7 Scotland 82.90
8 Australia 81.53
9 Fiji 81.14
10 Italy 79.64
11 Wales 75.07
12 Japan 74.09
13 Georgia 71.48
14 Portugal 69.64
15 Uruguay 69.19
16 USA 68.26
17 Spain 67.51
18 Chile 66.72
19 Tonga 66.66
20 Samoa 66.43
READ MORE: World Rugby announce ‘significant’ rankings change to ‘reflect an evolving competition landscape’
