SA, France move up rankings
12 Nov 2012
The Springboks have risen to No 2 in the IRB world rankings, with France breaking into the top four.
The Boks’ 16-12 victory over Ireland on Saturday was enough to see them leapfrog the Wallabies, who lost heavily to France in Paris. The French replace England (who thrashed Fiji) at No 4 on the rankings and trail Australia by only 0.32 points.
On 3 December, the rankings will determine the seeding for the 12 directly qualified teams for the 2015 World Cup. The teams ranked one to four will be kept apart at the pool stage, which makes the battle for a top-four spot especially relevant.
As the rankings stand after the first weekend of a packed month of internationals, France would avoid New Zealand, South Africa and Australia until at least the quarter-finals. England’s fate is very much in their own hands, with Australia, South Africa and New Zealand coming up over consecutive weekends before the pool allocation draw in London.
In other ranking news, Argentina move up one place to seventh after their win over Wales, with Ireland slipping to eighth.
The All Blacks, who put 51 points past Scotland, remain No 1 by a comfortable margin.
IRB WORLD RANKINGS (TOP 10)
1 NEW ZEALAND 92.91
2 SOUTH AFRICA 85.50
3 AUSTRALIA 84.82
4 FRANCE 84.58
5 ENGLAND 83.09
6 WALES 80.60
7 ARGENTINA 80.29
8 IRELAND 79.04
9 SCOTLAND 77.97
10 SAMOA 77.14
21 Comments
12 Nov 2012, 14:33 pm
Goed so.
Maar ek is gatvol vir nommer 2.
12 Nov 2012, 14:44 pm
2 doesn’t mean much. Any team between 8 and 2 could beat each other on any given day, depending on the bounce of the ball and whatnot. The one team that is getting further and further away from the pack is the ABs.
12 Nov 2012, 14:46 pm
For now though, 2 will suffice. As long as we are still 2 when the IRB do the draw for the WC 2015.
12 Nov 2012, 14:53 pm
I think it’s true that SA are a better team than Oz – I’m not sure they are better than France though. The Boks would almost certainly lose if they played France on this tour.
12 Nov 2012, 15:32 pm
And four leading teams combined – SA, Aus, Wal, Ire – have managed to squeeze ONE try.
12 Nov 2012, 15:34 pm
Eish, there’s a lot of daylight between New Zealand and the rest.
Clear front runners.
12 Nov 2012, 15:36 pm
Lucky Aussies and Welsh did not drop even further in the rankings, they both certainly deserved.
12 Nov 2012, 15:47 pm
Congratulations Saffers on moving up a place. ABs then daylight yes, but it looks like the big 5 are breaking away. Will be interesting to see how Argentina go, hopefully they can beat their whipping boys France and would give Ireland a good test. They could probably end the year in sixth. Not bad for our new friends
12 Nov 2012, 16:02 pm
Quick question.. Why did nz and england not get points for these test matches???
12 Nov 2012, 16:53 pm
@supersader-9: i don’t know the formula exactly but if you are more than about 7 points ahead of the opposition, you get nothing for a win. If the ABs played the Boks at home this weekend and won, we’d get nothing for it.
13 Nov 2012, 03:03 am
@supersader-9: Quick answer – because rating points difference between them and their opponents were more than 10 points. Plus, hosts get 3 rating points added for any particular game (thus emphasizing home advantage), so higher ranked ones do not get anything, if rating points difference is more than 10 points INCLUDING those 3 added.
Likewise, in that case the loser does not lose a smallest bit.
For example, NZ had 92.91 while Scotland 77.97. Adding 3 points to the Scots, we get 80.97. The difference is 11.94.
In England – Fiji case it is even bigger. 83.09 vs 70.60 and Poms get 3 more points, thus making the difference a whopping 15.49 points.
Anyway, the IRB site has it all explained.
13 Nov 2012, 03:12 am
@supersader-9: That said in those cases the favourites cannot get anything but can lose HUGE chunk of points should they fail to win.
13 Nov 2012, 09:02 am
Thanx for info.. Still think the system sucks cause if no 1 and 2 ranked teams is close no 2 can pass no 1 without even beating them
13 Nov 2012, 10:39 am
This weekend the gap closes even more.. Sa will beat scots and ab’s won’t get points for the thrashing of italy.. System sucks as I said
13 Nov 2012, 12:06 pm
SA up to 2.
That’s disappointing.
FFS, how bad does a Team have to be to go down?
13 Nov 2012, 12:21 pm
@kaksioek-4:
So would the All Blacks have got a clap if they had played that French team playing like they did on Saturday. When they’re like that they will beat the rest of the planet – absolutely brilliant and breathtaking rugby from start to finish – keep in mind the Wallabies were No 2 in the world rankings and they got massacred 33-6 – they played bloody hard but it don’t mean nothing if the Frogs are firing on all five cylinders.
13 Nov 2012, 12:28 pm
@J.B. Cowper-16:
Well remember this Ozzie team drew against the ABs but then lost to Scotland ( we hammered Scotland with a B team) and Samoa in there own backyard. Ozzie have shown they can pull a good game out but then fall to pieces in the next.
I wouldnt take too much out of that game against the french but it is the french and we all know they are just as unpredictable as the Ozzies.
13 Nov 2012, 14:10 pm
@J.B. Cowper-16: IMHO, if ANY of the very top teams play on all cylinders, they are unbeatable on that day, we can recall very impressive Boks in the 2009 3N, for example.
You say, France played so now, yes they were very impressive, the problem is would the different opposition let them their merry dance. Remember, Aussies vs them last time – a biblical slaughter, remember the ABs EVERY SINGLE TIME vs them in France since 2004, Frogs have been massacred there.
It’s all relative.
13 Nov 2012, 14:12 pm
@supersader-13: It’s like democracy – it sucks but you will be pressed very hard to see something better.
13 Nov 2012, 20:34 pm
@Nils-18:
Nils – don’t you get it? The Tanzanians will beat France they are so up and down … but when they are playing their, it is better than anyone else’s best, including SA, NZ – anyone – the view of Lawrence Dallaglio among many others – that’s the beauty of the their game …
Compare the All Blacks particularly – they are ALWAYS good and anyone wanting to beat has to be at their best; SA and Wallabies achieve that general consistency most of all – and only two sides have ever taken the AB’s over 40 points – France and SA have done it twice each, Wallabies not even close.
14 Nov 2012, 02:46 am
@J.B. Cowper-20: Rugby is a 2 teams game, you are only as good as the opposition lets you be or you make them let that – and vice versa.
France were playing the current rubble Wobblies, ffs. Yes, they were impressive, meanwhile you would hardly ever see them enjoying such freedom vs real quality opposition, perhaps that’s the reason why they mostly are on receiving end when meeting them.
I agree with you though that France are fantastic when allowed to fly high, pure joy to watch. Whose team’s flying high is the best, depends on taste. I certainly enjoy French flair very much – as much as I enjoyed, say, Paris Test of 2004 when black flair with greenhorn general Carter in charge annihilated them, or Paris Test of 2010 when yellow pups from Down Under did the same.
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