World Rankings permutations: Winner takes all in Rugby World Cup final

Dylan Coetzee
A scrum between Springboks and All Blacks as scrum-half Faf de Klerk looks on.

A scrum between Springboks and All Blacks as scrum-half Faf de Klerk looks on.

Just days remain of the Rugby World Cup with two games left as some teams fight for third place whilst others push for the title.

Before the weekend’s action gets underway, Planet Rugby takes a closer look at how the two Tests could influence the World Rankings.

Final – New Zealand (2) 91.56 v South Africa (1) 92.79

The equation for the most part is fairly simple; whichever team wins the final will finish as the world’s top-ranked side.

If the All Blacks win it would be the first time they have been at the summit since November 2021 and a win by 15+ points could see them build a whopping 4.36 point lead. In the case of a New Zealand win, the Springboks would fall to third with Ireland climbing to second.

It is fairly similar for South Africa who will stay on top if they win and could build a 4.85 point lead at the summit if they win by 15+ on the day. In the event of a Springbok victory, the All Blacks would drop to third below Ireland but no further than that.

Both teams are fighting for a historic fourth World Cup title whilst defending champions the Springboks are looking to achieve that feat by winning back-to-back titles. The All Blacks in 2011 and 2015 are the only team in history to do so.

New Zealand win by 15 points or less – New Zealand 93.80, South Africa 90.54
New Zealand win by more than 15 points – New Zealand 94.93, South Africa 89.42
South Africa win by 15 points or less – New Zealand 89.80, South Africa 94.54
South Africa win by more than 15 points – New Zealand 88.93, South Africa 95.42

Bronze final – Argentina (7) 82.42 v England (5) 83.72

Regardless of the margin of victory, the highest Argentina can climb is to fifth where they would replace England if they triumphed over the Red Rose, in fact, the teams would swap places in that instance. If Los Pumas won by 15+ then England would drop to their lowest-ever ranking of eighth.

The Red Rose will not climb up the rankings regardless of the win margin due to the gap to France. However, only a win of 15+ for England can drop Argentina down the rankings in which case they would swap with Wales just below them on the ladder.

Argentina win by 15 points or less – Argentina 84.68, England 81.46
Argentina win by more than 15 points – Argentina 85.81, England 80.33
England win by 15 points or less – Argentina 80.68, England 85.46
England win by more than 15 points – Argentina 79.81, England 86.33

World Rankings (as of October 23)

1 (1) South Africa: 92.79
2 (2) New Zealand: 91.56
3 (3) Ireland: 90.57
4 (4) France: 87.81
5 (5) England: 83.72
6 (6) Scotland: 83.43
7 (7) Argentina: 82.42
8 (8) Wales: 80.64
9 (9) Australia: 77.48
10 (10) Fiji: 76.38

READ MORE: Opinion: We are about to witness the greatest Rugby World Cup Final ever

Argentina