A strong second half saw Rugby World Cup 2015 hosts England storm back to beat Wales 21 / 16 in their Six Nations opener in Cardiff, a result which lifted them above Ireland back to 3rd in the latest World Rugby rankings.
According to the World Rugby (previously IRB), the victory sees England regain the mantle as the leading northern hemisphere nation in the rankings behind New Zealand and South Africa and they now sit 0.35 points above Ireland after their 26 / 3 victory over Italy in Rome had no impact due to the 11 places separating the teams.
Wales stay 6th despite the defeat by their Rugby World Cup 2015 opponents at the Millennium Stadium, although now have France breathing down their necks after Philippe Saint-André’s side edged Scotland 15 / 8 at the Stade de France on Saturday.
That win cuts the deficit between the two teams to just under 4 tenths and also sees Scotland slip one place to 9th, with Argentina the beneficiary of France’s victory.
Ireland may not have improved their rating with the victory over Italy, but it will have been a morale-boosting result against one of their Rugby World Cup 2015 opponents. They will face another Pool D rival in France this coming weekend in Dublin and will hope for another victory as England 2015 looms large.
Top 10 in the latest rankings:
- New Zealand 93.70
- South Africa 88.23
- England 85.83
- Ireland 85.48
- Australia 82.95
- Wales 80.66
- France 80.27
- Argentina 78.23
- Scotland 78.16
- Samoa 75.39