Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Second-best Springboks left hanging in world rankings

By Jon Newcombe
SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO, ARGENTINA - SEPTEMBER 21: Bautista Delguy of Argentina tackles Jesse Kriel of South Africa during the the Rugby Championship 2024 match between Argentina Pumas and South Africa Springboks at Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades on September 21, 2024 in Santiago del Estero, Argentina. (Photo by Rodrigo Valle/Getty Images)

South Africa will have to wait until November before they get a chance to reclaim their place at the top of the men’s rankings.

ADVERTISEMENT

Despite losing 29-28 to Argentina last week, the Springboks will not be rewarded for turning things around in the final round of The Rugby Championship in Nelspruit this Saturday.

The World Rugby points exchange systems works against them on this occasion because with home advantage and 7.47 points and four places separating the teams, a bounce-back victory would not have any impact on their rating.

Video Spacer

Rassie Erasmus speaks about what Los Pumas will bring to the table

Video Spacer

Rassie Erasmus speaks about what Los Pumas will bring to the table

Even a big turnaround would not lead to an improvement in their rating of 91.77 points, which leaves them currently 0.35 adrift of Ireland.

Ireland replaced them as the official world’s best team when the Springboks fell to the agonising defeat in Santiago del Estero, ending the Springboks’ 13-month unbroken reign at the top as a result.

And they will stay there until test match rugby resumes in November. With the Springboks exclusively playing lower-ranked opposition on their European tour – England (5th), Scotland (7th) and Wales (11th), the reality is that they will need Ireland to slip up to topple them.

Ireland host New Zealand, Argentina, Fiji and Australia in a mouth-watering line-up of fixtures in Dublin.

ADVERTISEMENT
Fixture
Rugby Championship
South Africa
10:00
28 Sep 24
Argentina
All Stats and Data

Victory for Argentina will be enough to lift them above England into fifth place with France also overhauled if they win by more 15 points.

Argentina could climb to third – for the first time since June 2008 – if they win by that margin and Australia beat New Zealand. This would equal their all-time high.

One consolation for Springbok fans is that they are safe in second place even if they lose to Los Pumas for the second consecutive week.

That is because New Zealand are also unable to improve their rating with a Bledisloe Cup II victory over Australia. The All Blacks’ current rating is 9.38 points better than Australia’s before home weighting is factored in.

ADVERTISEMENT

However, defeat in the second Bledisloe Cup encounter will see the All Blacks drop one place to fourth with France the beneficiaries.

It is possible for New Zealand to equal their all-time low of fifth if they lose and Argentina go back-to-back against South Africa, although only if one of the margins if by more than 15 points.

Meanwhile, Australia will jump two places to eighth if they avoid defeat against New Zealand in Wellington, a graveyard for the All Blacks in recent years with only win from their last six Tests in the windy city.

Related

Watch the highly acclaimed five-part documentary Chasing the Sun 2, chronicling the journey of the Springboks as they strive to successfully defend the Rugby World Cup, free on RugbyPass TV (*unavailable in Africa)

ADVERTISEMENT

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

T
TT 56 minutes ago
How the All Blacks are enduring pain now in readiness for 2027 RWC crusade

Off topic 1st, Crusader’s ’24 SR shocked everyone. But the failure carried on all SR. I assume Penny got back in by the skin of his teeth.

 

Back on ABs.

 

Plummer - Sorry, but Plummer orchestrated the SR Blues championship.

 

Hotham didn’t play for the All Black?? It was actually V Fiji. & a shocker, as was the test of his ’24 SR. I remember his errors stood out. A boy among men. Club standard at best. Every SR  halfback, & the replacement, is a mile ahead of him. I mean it, I hope I’m dead wrong. https://www.allblacks.com/news/all-blacks-team-named-to-play-fiji-in-san-diego

 

Fainganuku – forgot him? He’d be 1st pick every time. 1 of best in world. BUT he’s not there / available! It’s pathetic & disrespectful for Razor to talk about him while not even giving current new ABs even a run.

 

Fihaki – his SR pretty lame but no need to call in while Narawa and Proctor a mile ahead, so again, pathetic & disrespectful for Razor to talk about him they not even run. So much for Mr Team man, Razor.

 

Nth tour – ABs play rank 1 (Irel), 4(France) & 5(England) + 8 (Italy).  All at home grounds obviously. Hardest ranked tour in AB history. The ABs & a full squad of back ups should have run multiple times by now to even be warmed up to a hope of winning?? France will also likely field a B team. Why?! Your source? They have a point to prove after another failed RWC. & their own! The RW Champions of Choking.

 

I agree Mounga got a rough deal under both Hansen & Foster. But most new ABs did. Hansen & Foster were the worse new AB developers in history hence their failure in the end. They were just given high quality teams.

 

Razor choose to be AB coach. In afft behind Foster’s back. Like Foster, there's no training in period. That’s done at there endless camps. He's meant develop new ABs asap & get results. He’s so far failing worst in history. Yep hope he’s got a ‘cunning plan’, but that does not excuse failing to develop new ABs & get results, eg against 10th ranked Wallabies, especially more than just the 1st 15min, the next 65min wilted (again) & lost.

29 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING Jake White: What have The Rugby Championship teams done to themselves? Jake White: What have the Rugby Championship teams done to themselves?
Search