Springboks Secure No.1 Spot Ahead of Showdown With Ireland

The Springboks will remain at the top of the world rankings for another week, regardless of the outcome of their highly anticipated clash with Ireland.

South Africa cemented their position after a convincing 32-14 win over Italy, and their lead increased further when England overcame New Zealand. Had the All Blacks secured a big victory at Twickenham, they could have narrowed the gap to just 0.25 points heading into this weekend and early on, it looked possible.

New Zealand raced ahead 12-0 thanks to tries from Leicester Fainga’anuku and Codie Taylor, but England responded strongly. The visitors managed only one more try through Will Jordan, while England crossed the line four times via Ollie Lawrence, Sam Underhill, Fraser Dingwall and Tom Roebuck to seal a 33-19 win.

That result ensures that South Africa cannot be overtaken at the top this week, even if they fall to Ireland in Dublin. The All Blacks are also back in action but, with Wales struggling, the fixture won’t give New Zealand enough ranking points to challenge for first place.

The fight for third spot remains tight. England’s win moved them ahead of Ireland, although they can’t climb any higher unless results elsewhere go dramatically off-script. Ireland, meanwhile, slipped after failing to collect ranking points against Australia, despite their dominant 46-19 victory — but they now have a chance to reclaim a top-three position when they face the Springboks.