Another weekend of Rugby Championship and Pacific Nations Cup action has shaken things up in the global rankings with South Africa, New Zealand and the United States among the movers
11:58, 15 Sep 2025Updated 12:22, 15 Sep 2025
Damian Willemse was on the scoresheet as the Springboks thumped the All Blacks in a record defeat(Image: Getty Images)
Another round of Rugby Championship matches is done and dusted and the latest results have seen things change yet again at the top of the World Rugby rankings.
New Zealand went into their clash with South Africa in Wellington on Saturday as the number one-ranked side in the world, having stolen the crown off the Springboks themselves four weeks earlier. However, the All Blacks suffered a disaster as they were thumped 43-10 by Rassie Erasmus’ side in what was their heaviest defeat of all time.
The hosts capitulated in the second half as South Africa scored 36 unanswered points to bounce back in style from the defeat they suffered to Scott Robertson’s side a week earlier. The record-breaking result means that the Boks have jumped back up to top spot in the latest global standings, with New Zealand dropping down to third in the world and Ireland remaining in second place.
The All Blacks’ stay at the top of the global order is the shortest since France spent just a single week as world number ones in July 2022. Their defeat to the Springboks is a costly one, as it means they are now closer to England in fifth place than they are to snatching back top spot again.
Meanwhile, the weekend’s other game saw Argentina record a 28-26 win over Australia, with that result also having repercussions for the top end of the current world rankings. Victory for Los Pumas has seen them leapfrog the Wallabies into sixth place, meaning they are in the first band of seeds for the 2027 Rugby World Cup draw, which will take place in December.
However, the four Rugby Championship sides aren’t the only teams to have moved up and down the rankings, with results from the Pacific Nations Cup also having a significant impact. Most noticeably, the United States have moved up three places, jumping from 19th to 16th on the back of their World Cup qualification.
The Eagles booked their place in Australia for 2027 by beating Samoa 29-13 in the PNC’s fifth-place play-off on Sunday, with their qualification marking their return to rugby’s biggest stage after they missed out on a place at the 2023 tournament. The United States’ victory came as somewhat of a shock, however, as they had been on a five-match losing run in the competition, with Samoa ranked five places above them heading into the match.
Kolisi’s Springboks are back on top of the world rankings(Image: Getty Images)
Now, however, the United States are just one place behind Samoa, who have also been overtaken by Spain as a result of their play-off defeat. That is a record high for the Spaniards, who have steadily climbed up the global rankings during this World Cup cycle.
Just above them in 13th, Japan have closed the gap on Wales to just 0.13 ranking points, having thumped Tonga 62-24. The Pacific Islanders, meanwhile, drop to 19th as a result of that defeat, with any further losses likely see them match their all-time lowest ranking of 20th in the world.
After losing to the United States, Samoa must now beat Chile in a two-legged play-off to automatically qualify for the 2027 tournament, or else they will have to go through the Final Qualification Tournament (FQT) route. The FQT is a four-team round-robin competition taking place in November, with Belgium and Namibia taking on either Brazil or Paraguay and either the Samoans or the Chileans for a final shot at World Cup qualification.
After sealing their place 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.”
“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 qualified for the expanded tournament in two years’ time, with two spaces left to be filled. Hong Kong has qualified for the first time ever, while Zimbabwe will be back on the sport’s biggest stage for the first time in 36 years, having last featured at the 1991 tournament.
The latest World Rugby rankings (September 15)
*Officially updated at noon on Monday (BST)