New World Rugby rankings released as global order shaken amid World Cup upset

The latest round of Rugby Championship matches has shaken up the World Rugby rankings once again.

New Zealand, who had snatched the top spot from South Africa just four weeks prior, went into their match against the Springboks in Wellington on Saturday as the world's number one team. However, they were handed a crushing 43-10 defeat by Rassie Erasmus' side, marking their heaviest loss ever.

The All Blacks crumbled in the second half, allowing South Africa to score 36 unanswered points and rebound impressively from their loss to Scott Robertson's team the previous week. This record-breaking victory has propelled the Boks back to the top of the global standings, pushing New Zealand down to third place, with Ireland holding steady in second.

New Zealand's stint at the top of world rugby was the shortest since France's single-week reign as world number ones in July 2022. Their loss to the Springboks has proven costly, leaving them closer to fifth-placed England than to reclaiming the top spot.

Elsewhere, Argentina celebrated a 28-26 victory over Australia, which has propelled them past the Wallabies into sixth place and secured their spot in the first band of seeds for December's 2027 Rugby World Cup draw.

However, the four Rugby Championship teams aren't the only ones experiencing shifts in the rankings. Results from the Pacific Nations Cup have also made a significant impact.

Most notably, the United States have risen three places, soaring from 19th to 16th following their World Cup qualification.

The Eagles secured their ticket to Australia for the 2027 tournament by defeating Samoa 29-13 in the PNC's fifth-place play-off on Sunday. This marks their return to rugby's grandest stage after missing out on the 2023 tournament.

An American victory was somewhat unexpected, given their five-match losing streak in the competition and Samoa's ranking five places above them prior to the match.

Now, however, the United States sit just one place behind Samoa, who have also been surpassed by Spain due to their play-off defeat. This is a record high for the Spaniards, who have steadily climbed the global rankings during the current World Cup cycle.

Japan, sitting just above in 13th place, have narrowed the gap on Wales to a mere 0.13 ranking points after their impressive 62-24 victory over Tonga. The Pacific Islanders have slipped to 19th following the defeat, and further losses could see them equalling their lowest-ever world ranking of 20th.

Following their loss to the United States, Samoa now face Chile in a two-legged play-off for automatic qualification to the 2027 tournament. Failure to win will mean they must navigate the Final Qualification Tournament (FQT) route.

This four-team round-robin competition, scheduled for November, will see Belgium and Namibia take on either Brazil or Paraguay and either Samoa or Chile for the final World Cup qualification spot.

After securing their spot at the 2027 tournament, United States head coach Scott Lawrence said: "This has been three years coming, and it feels good. We've been building this team, they're young in caps, but they went out there and performed today."

He added: "I think we start looking at the 2027 squad going into the November test series. We've got a U20s World Championship next year with a new crop of players coming through, so we're ready to invest in them and spend time with that playing group.

"Otherwise we just start planning. It was a three-year plan to get here, so it will be another two-year plan into the Rugby World Cup. I'll take 24 hours off, but we'll be back to work on Tuesday."

A total of 22 teams have now secured their spots for the expanded tournament in two years' time, with just two places remaining. Hong Kong has made history by qualifying for the first time ever, while Zimbabwe is set to return to the sport's grandest stage after a 36-year hiatus, having last appeared at the 1991 tournament.

The most recent World Rugby rankings (September 15).

# Team Points

1	(↑2)	South Africa	91.62	(+2.25)
2	Ireland	89.83
3	(↓2)	New Zealand	89.10	(-2.25)
4	France	87.82
5	England	87.64
6	(↑1)	Argentina	84.40	(+1.56)
7	(↓1)	Australia	83.85	(-1.56)
8	Scotland	81.57
9	Fiji	80.86
10	Italy	77.77
11	Georgia	74.69
12	Wales	74.05
13	Japan	73.92	(+0.52)
14	(↑1)	Spain	69.12
15	(↓1)	Samoa	68.90	(-1.82)
16	(↑3)	USA	67.40	(+1.82)