Victory came at a cost for England despite beating Wales 23-19 on Saturday to clinch their second straight win in the 2022 Six Nations.
That's after Eddie Jones' side suffered a slump in the men's World Rugby rankings and fell to fourth in the pecking order, while Wales enjoyed a slight bump despite their second loss of the tournament.
Wales benefit from the fact their loss took place at Twickenham, with away defeats less damaging to a team's ranking.
England ended up paying the price for allowing their guests to score 19 points in the last 26 minutes on Saturday, having led 17-0 until Wayne Pivac's side unleashed a bombardment of late tries.
Wales climb one place to seventh and replace Scotland, who succumbed 36-17 at home to Six Nations leaders France earlier on Saturday.
Eddie Jones hinted his side got the "rub of the green" at Twickenham, too, after former referee Nigel Owens conceded Alex Dombrandt's sole try for England shouldn't have stood.
Les Bleus take England's place in third following their third win in as many outings this tournament, continuing their quest for a rare Grand Slam in style.
Fabien Galthie's men move up by virtue of the fact they triumphed on the road against a fellow Tier 1 nation, and winning by a margin of 15 points or more comes with additional bonuses in the rankings.
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Their victory at Murrayfield also means France will climb above New Zealand and up to second place provided they can replicate the result (and win by at least 15 points) when they visit Wales on Friday, March 11.
Les Bleus have won their last three meetings with Wales, and they emerged as 38-21 victors when the two teams met in Paris during the 2020 Autumn Nations Cup.
One has to look back to 2011 for France's last double-digit victory over the Welsh in the Six Nations, however, while their only tournament win in Cardiff by at least 15 points was during the inaugural edition in 2000.
On the other hand, Wales have an opportunity to climb once again and leapfrog Australia into sixth if they were to surprise France and win by 15 points or more in their next outing.
Reigning world champions South Africa remain top of the pile for the time being, though their cushion was reduced following a November defeat by Jones' men.
England could be at risk of falling further should they lose at home to Ireland on March 12, with the boys in green sat just one spot and .92 points behind them as things stand.
World Rugby’s rankings - Top 10 (February 28)
- South Africa - 90.61
- New Zealand - 88.75
- France - 87.84
- England - 86.92
- Ireland- 86.00
- Australia- 83.92
- Wales- 81.99
- Scotland - 81.75
- Argentina- 80.58
- Japan - 78.26
