New Zealand have moved closer to South Africa in the World Rugby rankings after they thrashed Australia 50-19 at Eden Park to retain the Bledisloe Cup.
The Wallabies arrived at the clash high on confidence after a five-match unbeaten run, but Dave Rennie’s side were outplayed by the All Blacks on Saturday. Tries from Tom Wright and Harry Wilson kept Australia in touch at the break, where New Zealand led 17-14. The hosts then pulled away in the second half.
Peter Lakai and Tupou Vaa’i scored for the All Blacks in the first half before they crossed five times in the final 40 minutes. Cam Roigard, Codie Taylor, Leroy Carter, Josh Moorby and Will Jordan all touched down, taking New Zealand to the half-century. The win also extended their unbeaten run at Eden Park, which stretches back to 1994.
How the Bledisloe Cup impacted the standings
The All Blacks’ 31-point winning margin lifted their rating by 0.66, from 91.15 to 91.81. That leaves them just over a point behind the Springboks, who sit on 93.09.
The gap stood at almost four points after Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry concluded. The back-to-back world champions won three Tests in a row to beat Rennie’s side 3-1 in the series. However, the gap has narrowed significantly following the Wallabies’ win over the Boks in late September and the All Blacks’ victory on Saturday.
If they come through next weekend’s encounter unscathed, the All Blacks may fancy their chances of finishing the year as the number one ranked team in the world.
Next up is the Nations Championship, and the Springboks appear to face the tougher fixtures on paper, with trips to Ireland and France in November.
Wallabies hold sixth despite heavy defeat
Australia maintain sixth place despite the heavy loss to their arch-rivals. They drop from 85.55 to 84.89, just 0.11 ahead of Scotland, who sit seventh.
Another defeat next weekend would see the Wallabies slip behind the Scots and leave them with plenty of work to do in the Nations Championship. A victory by more than 15 points would have lifted Australia into fourth, their highest ranking since November 2021, but they fell well short of that.
World Rugby men’s rankings
| Rank | Team | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Africa | 93.09 |
| 2 | New Zealand | 91.81 |
| 3 | Ireland | 88.08 |
| 4 | France | 87.43 |
| 5 | England | 85.68 |
| 6 | Australia | 84.89 |
| 7 | Scotland | 84.78 |
| 8 | Argentina | 82.24 |
| 9 | Japan | 77.28 |
| 10 | Fiji | 76.81 |
| 11 | Wales | 76.38 |
| 12 | Italy | 76.30 |
| 13 | Georgia | 73.94 |
| 14 | Portugal | 69.39 |
| 15 | USA | 67.58 |
| 16 | Chile | 66.94 |
| 17 | Spain | 66.83 |
| 18 | Uruguay | 65.75 |
| 19 | Tonga | 65.14 |
| 20 | Samoa | 64.73 |