Although there is always a bit of ebb and flow to the world rugby rankings, the one constant throughout history has been the dominance of All Blacks. Although they might occasionally slip from top position, if only for a few months, their dominance has generally been considered a natural fact.
In fact, according to the records, New Zealand is the team that has most consistently been ranked the No. 1 team since the introduction of the World Rankings in 2003. This has seen them spend an incredible 77% of the time at the top of the rankings during this time.
This undisputed fact of sporting life has provided a steady source of guidance for punters looking to place wagers at their online bookmakers of choice – some will offer perks such as bet365 free bets and no deposit bonuses, among others. And given that the All Blacks were typically assumed to be the most likely to win any given match, this made it relatively easy to plan out your sports betting strategy!
However, following a remarkable few weeks of Test rugby, this certainty that was once taken for granted has been thrown into disarray.
As a result, there have been some notable shifts in the current state of the world rugby rankings, which has given rugby fans much food for thought as we eye the rapidly approaching Rugby World Cup in September 2023.
But how did we get here?
Unexpected events in the latest test series
The state of chaos that has gripped the world rugby rankings in recent weeks is largely due to the performance of a number of key teams in the latest rugby Test series – by far the biggest source of this chaos was due to the incredible performances the Irish have been putting in against the much-feared All Blacks.
Ireland rose to first place in the rugby rankings after claiming a historic test series victory against the New Zealand side.
Ireland was previously bumped up to second place in the rankings following a hard-fought victory against the All Blacks with a second consecutive win allowing them to secure the top spot. In doing so, they pushed New Zealand down to fourth place, which is their lowest ever ranking.
While Ireland had previously enjoyed a short spell at the top of the rankings – this time there was something palpably different in how they got there. And by getting in two solid victories over the All Blacks on home soil, the Irish proved themselves to be comfortably at home among the elite of world rugby.
What does this mean for UK rugby teams?
As a result of this series of upsets, England were able to edge their way up the rankings. And following New Zealand's loss to Ireland, England found themselves in fifth place, following a narrow victory over Australia.
Beyond England, things were also looking up for the other UK sides. Scotland and Wales both retained their positions in the top 10 rankings.
While staying in the same place might ordinarily seem like a sign of stagnation, given that there was so much movement around them in the top 10, staying put is actually a net win.
Generally speaking, the most recent Test series has produced positive results for UK rugby. England are firmly in the top five – while also breathing down New Zealand's neck – and Scotland and Wales both seem secure in their rankings.
This is incredibly positive as we look forward to the next Six Nations, and in particular, the 2023 Rugby World Cup. In light of this, we shouldn't get carried away with the Ireland series win as signalling the death-knell of English rugby!
What's going on outside the top 10?
The rankings were similarly fluid outside of the top 10 group, which often monopolises our attention.
Samoa were the biggest beneficiaries of these changes, rising from 13th to 11th place after beating Fiji and winning the Pacific Nations Cup. This victory nudged Fiji from 11th to 12th place, while Georgia dropped from 12th to 13th, despite securing a win over Portugal.
Georgia's fall in the rankings comes at an awkward time for the Eastern European side as they try to argue for their inclusion in future Six Nations games.
One of the biggest upsets outside the top 10 happened in Denver, when the Chilean rugby team managed to beat the USA in a two-leg playoff. This saw them secure a qualification for the upcoming 2023 Rugby World Cup, which is a first for Chile!
As a result of this, Chile rose from 24th to 22nd place in the world rankings and now have a wide range of new opportunities open to them by virtue of this qualification. The USA team dropped from 17th to 19th place and are now faced with one last chance to qualify for the 2023 World Cup in November.
