The rugby world rankings shifted after a landmark Round Four weekend, with England dropping to sixth and Argentina climbing to fifth after Italy beat England for the first time in 33 Six Nations meetings.
How The Rugby World Rankings Shifted
Italy’s breakthrough result in Rome cost England 1. 28 ranking points and pushed them down to sixth. Argentina were the big movers, up to fifth. Despite a 50-40 thriller in Edinburgh, Scotland remain seventh after gaining 1. 37 points, while France stay fourth, now 1. 59 points behind third-placed Ireland.
Ireland stayed third following a 27-17 win over Wales in Dublin, a result that had no impact on their position due to the rating gap between the teams. Italy remain 10th overall, boosted by 1. 28 points from their win over England.
At the very top, there is no change: South Africa lead the standings on 93. 94 points, with New Zealand second on 90. 33. The rugby world rankings still reflect the Springboks and All Blacks as the clear pace-setters.
- 1 South Africa — 93. 94
- 2 New Zealand — 90. 33
- 3 Ireland — 88. 89
- 4 France — 87. 03
- 5 Argentina — 84. 97 (up)
- 6 England — 84. 34 (down)
- 7 Scotland — 83. 08
- 8 Australia — 81. 53
- 9 Fiji — 81. 14
- 10 Italy — 81. 09 (up)
The rankings table is scheduled to update again on Monday, reflecting the latest outcomes before the final weekend of the Championship.
What Could Change Next Weekend
The summit will not shift this weekend, with neither South Africa nor New Zealand catchable in the next round of fixtures. The battle to be the highest-ranked team from the Six Nations, however, is still live.
Any of England, Ireland, or France can still end the Championship in third, depending on results:
• Ireland, currently third, are best placed. They only need to avoid defeat against Scotland in Dublin to stay there. They could even afford to lose and retain third if France fail to beat England in Paris.
• England can surge back if results align. For third place, they would need to beat France by more than 15 points and have Scotland defeat Ireland by more than 15 in Dublin. Even if Scotland do not win by that margin, England are guaranteed to move above Argentina and France if they win in Paris.
• France’s route to third requires a win over England, paired with Scotland ending their long losing run in Dublin. No specific winning margins are required in that scenario.
Scotland also have a notable ceiling in play. If they beat Ireland by more than 15 points, they will rise to fifth, equalling their all-time highest position. A narrower Scottish win would only lift them above seventh if it coincides with an England defeat; they cannot fall lower than seventh because Italy cannot gain enough points with a win over Wales to catch them.
Italy, fresh from their historic victory, could finish as high as eighth with a win in the final round; any margin would be enough to move them past Australia and Fiji if other results align as outlined. Wales, meanwhile, risk sliding to 13th with another winless campaign unless Georgia lose to Portugal in the Rugby Europe Men’s Championship.
Beyond the Six Nations, Georgia could equal their all-time high of 11th if they beat Portugal by more than 15 points and Wales lose. If Portugal manage a rare win over Georgia, they would climb two places to 14th, above the USA and Uruguay. A Portuguese victory by more than 15 points would trim the gap to Georgia to as little as 0. 76 points.
With the final weekend looming, the race for the northern hemisphere’s top spot and several potential record highs remain in play—while the top two look set in place at least for another week.
