With 2025 drawing to a close, Planet Rugby takes a look at the international power rankings from the past calendar year.
10 Australia
It’s been a mixed year for the Wallabies. When they were good, they were simply excellent, but when they were off the pace, they were bad. Looking at the good first, they showed genuine signs of progress early in the year, beating the British and Irish Lions and the Springboks in successive Tests – which followed their outstanding effort in Test Two against the Lions as well – while also beating ever-improving nations Fiji and Argentina too; however, this was quickly marred by some horror shows.
Joe Schmidt’s side ended the year with seven defeats from eight, with only a win against Japan saving them, but the Autumn Nations Series campaign put a harsh spotlight on them. For the first time since 1958, they lost all four Tests in November, a run which also saw them lose heavily to England, Ireland and France alongside a tough defeat to Italy – only their second against the Azzurri in their history.
Around the defeats, they just lacked the same sort of punch that they had in July and even in the early stages of the Rugby Championship – which can also be said for New Zealand too in fairness – but that really told in those losses.
You feel they just needed to get to the end of the tour, and have a proper reset heading into 2026. The early form from this year could certainly be used as a foundation to play off, though.
9 Italy
Some genuine signs of progress again from Italy in 2025, who look solid under Gonzalo Quesada. While their winning percentage of 36% (four wins from 11) might suggest a tough go of it, they faced the Springboks three times alone this year alone, as well as their typical Six Nations campaign too. Playing the Boks so regularly this year almost allows their progress to be viewed in real time, being blown away by them in July before running them very close in November – with late scores from Grant Williams and Ethan Hooker the difference between the sides in Turin.
Around that, they also secured yet another victory over the Wallabies, Wales and the increasingly spirited Chile, alongside a 73-6 demolition of Namibia as well. The scorelines might not suggest it, either, but there can also be a sense of chance missed against Scotland and Ireland in the Six Nations. That is an important feeling, too, because it simply wouldn’t have been the case a few years ago.
Italy are really coming on now, and could very easily take a few big scalps this coming Six Nations.
8 Scotland
By no means an awful year, but you feel Scotland are in a state of flux at the end of 2025. They’re so nearly there, but they’re not quite able to get over that final hurdle. Weirdly, it’s very similar to where England were this time last year, too.
Gregor Townsend’s side just haven’t kicked on from last year, and stagnation while other teams are improving is regression. Narrow defeats have clouded their year, with England, New Zealand and Argentina especially painful upon reflection for Scotland fans, but they also suffered heavy defeats against Ireland and France in the Six Nations and tasted defeat against Fiji, too.
They are in a sticky patch at the moment, and the speculation surrounding Townsend’s future will only grow if they cannot get out of it in 2026.
7 Fiji
Quietly growing from strength to strength, Fiji can certainly look back fondly on a strong 2025 Test season. The defeat to Australia looked to have derailed their year before it even got underway, but they quickly rallied to end their Pacific Nations Cup unbeaten and with the title. The real test for Fiji was in the autumn, though, with the European big dogs lying in wait.
While they will be disappointed by the results against England and France, they gave both sides a real run for their money and looked to have taken their game on as well. Before, Fiji just looked to play sevens-esque rugby based around offloading and counter-attack, and while that was still very present in their game, they also looked vastly improved at the set-piece.
There’s just a feeling of something building for the Pacific Islanders, and as they now have Tier One status, 2026 could be a big year for them. Watch this space.
6 France
Had this piece been written in March, France would likely have finished top, but yet a mix of their own dip and other teams’ progress sees them sat in sixth. Les Bleus were in brilliant touch in the Six Nations, with only a last-gasp Elliot Daly score stopping them from clinching the Grand Slam. Fabien Galthie’s deployment of the 7/1 split seemed to go beyond the Boks’ at times, with his powerful pack ripping through Wales, Italy, Ireland and Scotland on the way to the title.
But, things went a bit off-track after that, with Les Bleus winning just two of their next six Tests. A rotated squad – due to Top 14 play-offs and players being given extended rest – came up short on the New Zealand tour, while the Springboks yet again left Paris with victory in November, before Les Bleus ended the year with wins over Fiji and Australia.
France are an exceptional side on their day, but you feel they need to make a real statement in 2026 if they want to send warnings ahead of the World Cup.
5 Argentina
Los Pumas finally seem to have cracked the code this year, and look like becoming a big force in the Test game moving forward. Argentina have always been a dangerous side, reaching World Cup semi-finals in the past, but they’ve never been able to turn a solid win into back-to-back successes; but they seem to have done that now.
The win over the British and Irish Lions was something in itself, defying the odds in Dublin, but it was then followed up by Rugby Championship wins over Australia and the All Blacks, before beating Scotland and thumping Wales in November.
It was by no means perfect, though, with England getting the better of them three times this year and they can be disappointed to again finish bottom of the Rugby Championship after a decent start, but on the whole, Argentina have worked on the good bits of last year and improved on that.
4 Ireland
It’s tough to summarise Ireland’s 2025 season, but that’s potentially the best reflection of them in all honesty. It was by no means a failure, with them winning eight of their 11 Tests this year, but they are not the side they were last year.
Losing their Six Nations title, and then finishing third, would have hurt Andy Farrell, and even with a victorious summer tour and then wins over Japan and Australia in November, Ireland came up short in the big games against the world’s best, with their defeats coming against France, New Zealand and South Africa.
Crucially, that has seen them fall down the World Rankings at the end of the year, with Farrell’s men now sat in fourth and on 2.81 less ranking points than they were this time last year.
2025 has put the fact that a number of their big guns are nearing the end of their Test careers, and if they don’t start looking to deploy fresher faces in 2026, Ireland could tumble further down the pecking order.
Again, though, it is by no means a failure, but it’s also not been their greatest year under Farrell.
3 New Zealand
It feels weird to write this about a team that won 10 of their 13 Tests across a calendar year, but the All Blacks can be a touch disappointed following the 2025 Test season.
For every big positive bit this year, there also seems to be an equally negative aspect as well. A series win over France is never a guarantee, but Les Bleus sent a rotated squad with a handful of players making their debuts, while strong wins over Argentina and South Africa in the Rugby Championship also came amid defeats to the same countries – including the heaviest defeat in their history against the Boks in Wellington.
Around that, they also missed out on the Rugby Championship for a second successive year, which will sting.
The November tour was again going pretty well, notably securing a win over Ireland in Chicago and atoning for the 2016 defeat, but that was swiftly followed by a defeat to England.
Again, it seems weird to be this negative about a side that won 77% of its Test matches, potentially too negative at that, but there does feel an underlying sense of underachievement from the All Blacks in 2025.
2 England
2025 has been a roaring success for England, who now seem to be hitting their straps heading into the next block before the World Cup. Steve Borthwick’s side have flipped the narrative surrounding them from last year, turning those narrow defeats into narrow wins, and then into dominant wins.
The dramatic victory over France in the Six Nations seemed to lift a huge weight off their shoulders, which in turn seemed to fuel a confidence that carried them through the Six Nations as they went onto win four from five. The summer tour was also a major positive, with the introduction of Lee Blackett and Byron McGuigan taking their game to new levels alongside a number of fringe players really grabbing their chance in the absence of Lions tourists.
It all seemed to come together in the autumn, though, with Borthwick’s side again taking a giant leap forward with wins over Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina. Around that, they seemed to nail their gameplan, particularly with their kicking game and the deployment of the ‘Pom Squad’ in tandem with handing the likes of Guy Pepper, Asher Opoku-Fordjour and Joe Heyes, among others, serious minutes against Tier One nations.
England need to kick on from the success of 2025 if they want to really threaten the Boks’ World Cup dominance, but this has been a very strong year for Borthwick’s group.
1 South Africa
There’s no real surprise here, with the all-conquering Springboks topping the list at the end of the year. While they did taste defeat against the Wallabies and the All Blacks, Rassie Erasmus’ side have been at their dominant best right across the 2025 Test season, capped off with a mightily impressive November campaign.
The blip in the Rugby Championship aside – which came during yet another title-winning campaign in the Southern Hemisphere competition – the Boks grew really nicely into the 2025 Test season and seemed to improve week by week. Be it with Tony-ball or sheer brutality up front, Erasmus’ side managed to consistently find different ways of beating their opponents.
What’s even more impressive is just how much distance now lies between them and the likes of Ireland, the All Blacks and even England – despite their recent improvement. They seemed to be toying with Ireland during the recent victory at the Aviva Stadium, opting to scrummage them into submission, while also handing New Zealand their biggest-ever defeat back in August.
Ominous heading into both the 2026 Test season and the 2027 World Cup.