The All Blacks have edged closer to the Springboks at the top of the World Rugby rankings after the third round of the Nations Championship.
Rassie Erasmus’ side remained No 1 following Saturday’s 43-0 win over Wales in Durban, but did not gain any ranking points because of the significant gap between the teams before kick-off.
However, No 2-ranked New Zealand collected the maximum available 1.24 rating points with a 40-21 victory over third-placed Ireland at Eden Park.
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The All Blacks now trail the Boks by just 1.68 rating points heading into the next round of Test action.
South Africa face Argentina on 8 August in Buenos Aires before heading into the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against New Zealand.
Despite suffering another heavy defeat, Wales climbed above Italy into 11th place after the Azzurri were hammered 57-10 by Australia in Perth. The Wallabies earned 1.01 rating points from the nine-try victory, enough to remain eighth in Joe Schmidt’s final match as head coach before Les Kiss takes charge.
MORE: Kiss has work cut out at Wallabies
No 6-ranked Scotland’s 33-17 victory over Fiji at Murrayfield saw Gregor Townsend’s side gain 0.69 rating points, although the result did not alter either team’s position, with Fiji remaining ninth.
Fourth-placed France’s 42-15 win over Japan in Tokyo also failed to yield any ranking points because of the gulf between the two sides.
England, meanwhile, strengthened their hold on fifth place by beating Argentina 31-24 in Santiago del Estero. Steve Borthwick’s side picked up 0.93 rating points to close the gap on France and Ireland, while Argentina remain just ahead of Australia in seventh.
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World Rugby rankings (Top 15)
1. South Africa 93.96
2. New Zealand 92.28 (+1.24)
3. Ireland 88.08 (-1.24)
4. France 87.43
5. England 85.68 (+0.93)
6. Scotland 84.78 (+0.69)
7. Argentina 83.13 (-0.93)
8. Australia 81.61 (+1.01)
9. Fiji 78.00 (-0.69)
10. (↑1) Japan 76.42
11. (↑1) Wales 76.38
12. (↓2) Italy 76.30 (-1.01)
13. Georgia 73.94 (+0.64)
14. USA 70.22 (+0.83)
15. Portugal 69.39 (+0.72)
Photo: Phil Walter/Getty Images
The post All Blacks close gap on Boks appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
The All Blacks have edged closer to the Springboks at the top of the World Rugby rankings after the third round of the Nations Championship.
The post All Blacks close gap on Boks appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
