Springboks extend lead in World Rugby rankings after crucial All Blacks win

Rassie Erasmus' men were under the pump in Cape Town and looked on course to suffer their first defeat of their campaign when Damian McKenzie lined up a penalty in the 72nd minute that would have pushed New Zealand out to a 13-15 lead.

However, his attempt from almost in front of the posts went array and the All Blacks imploded with Tyrel Lomax yellow carded before Malcolm Marx scored the winning try.

That score was not only crucial in terms of South Africa's title charge but for the rankings too as the Boks avoided slipping into second place with Ireland the beneficiaries.

Instead, South Africa have extended their lead to 1.25 rating points over Ireland with the All Blacks a whole 5.16 rating points behind second-placed Ireland.

The Rugby Championship action over in Sante Fe did see a change in a ranking position but not for the victors. Argentina were behind 17-20 at half-time against Australia and in a truly amazing second-half performance, they surged to a stunning 67-27 victory.

Despite the huge margin of victory, Argentina were unable to reclaim sixth place in the rankings, which they lost last week in defeat to Australia.

However, the Wallabies did slip in the rankings as they dropped back down to ninth place below Italy.

The weekend's Pacific Nations Cup saw big victories for both Fiji and Japan over Tonga and USA respectively.

Fiji hammered fellow Pacific Islanders Tonga 50-19 in Nukuʻalofa while Japan secured an emphatic 41-24 win in Kumagaya, Saitama.

Despite the comprehensive margins of victory, none of the teams involved moved in the rankings despite their rating points changing.

Fiji have however opened up a 2.39 rating point lead over 11th-placed Wales while Japan improved their hold on 14th place but remain 1.25 rating points behind Samoa.

World Rankings as of 7/09/2024

1 South Africa 93.37

2 Ireland 92.12

3 New Zealand 88.45

4 France 86.96

5 England 85.4

6 Scotland 82.82

7 Argentina 82.49

8 Italy 79.98

9 Australia 79.78

10 Fiji 78.43

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