World Rankings: Changes to top 10
SPOTLIGHT: There are a few changes in the World Rugby Men’s Rankings after the final round of World Cup pool matches.
For Fiji, the main goal was qualification for the quarterfinals for the first time since 2007 and the losing bonus point they picked up in Toulouse against Portugal was enough for them to go through ahead of Australia on the head-to-head ruling.
However, the manner of the performance was not anywhere near where Fiji would have wanted it to be and they will now go into their last eight tie with England ranked in 10th place, a fall of two places.
Argentina move up one place to eighth as a result of their 39-27 win over Japan in the first of three entertaining matches on Sunday, while Australia, who exit at the pool stage for the first time, go home ranked one place better off in ninth following the Fiji-Portugal result.
Portugal have climbed three places to a new high of 13th following their stunning 24-23 win over Fiji.
With four points awarded to them for beating a side ranked eight places higher than them before kick-off, Portugal’s new rating of 72.78 points takes them above Georgia, Samoa and Tonga, despite the latter having beaten Romania in the penultimate match of the pool phase.
Romania had 1.28 points knocked off their rating following their battling 24-45 defeat to Tonga, which means the Oaks have lost 19th place to Spain. Romania have never been lower than their current position of 20th.
The weekend’s other RWC 2023 matches had no impact on the rankings.
