New Zealand close gap on Springboks in Rankings

New Zealand have closed the gap on world number one South Africa in the latest World Rugby rankings following their 43-21 Bledisloe Cup victory over Australia in Sydney.

All Blacks gain ground on Springboks

Dave Rennie’s side gained 0.46 ranking points from the win, moving onto 92.27 points and reducing the gap to the Springboks to 0.82 points.

South Africa remain top of the rankings on 93.09 points, with New Zealand strengthening their position in second place.

The All Blacks completed a 2-0 Bledisloe Cup series victory over Australia after winning the opening Test 50-19 at Eden Park before following it with another convincing performance in Sydney.

Australia drop to seventh

Australia lost the same 0.46 ranking points following Saturday’s defeat and slipped to seventh place in the latest standings.

The Wallabies had entered the Sydney Test looking to respond after their heavy loss in Auckland, but New Zealand again proved too strong as they extended their winning run over Australia.

World Rugby Top 10 Rankings:

Rank	Team	Rating Points
1	South Africa	93.09
2	New Zealand	92.27
3	Ireland	88.08
4	France	87.43
5	England	85.68
6	Scotland	84.78
7	Australia	84.43
8	Argentina	82.24
9	Japan	77.28
10	Fiji	76.81