Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Wales Online
Wales Online
Sport
Jon Doel

New World Rugby rankings show chasm has opened up before World Cup

Ireland and France are officially the two best rugby teams in the world at the end of the 2023 Six Nations.

The new world rankings have been published on Monday at the culmination of a Championship that saw the Irish secure the Grand Slam. Second-placed France have a clear gap to third-placed New Zealand, with South Africa just behind by 0.01 points in fourth.

There is then a relative chasm of more than six rankings points to fifth-placed Scotland, with a clear divide between the best four teams on the planet and the rest. It brings into stark focus the controversial World Cup draw, which sees the top five all on the same side and three of those teams simply unable to progress beyond the quarter-finals at best. You can read more about that here.

England, Australia and Argentina are next, with Wales now more than two clear rankings points behind in ninth, just ahead of Japan.

Wales' World Cup group rivals Georgia are next, followed by Samoa and Fiji, who are both ahead of 14th-placed Italy, who lost every game despite showing signs of promise.

It is Georgia's highest ever ranking position, coming after they defended their Rugby Europe Championship title with a 38-11 victory in Sunday’s final against injury-depleted Portugal.

The final World Rugby rankings after the Six Nations

1
Ireland 91.82
2
France 90.47
3
New Zealand 88.98
4
South Africa 88.97
5
Scotland 82.77
6
England 82.12
7
Australia 81.80
8
Argentina 80.72
9
Wales 78.08
10
Japan 77.39
11 (↑12) Georgia 76.23 (+0.30)
12 (↓11) Samoa 76.03
13
Fiji 74.84
14
Italy 74.63
15
Tonga 71.21
Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.