All Blacks close gap on Springboks to 0.44 points after Nations Championship round four

New Zealand have closed the gap on South Africa at the top of the World Rugby Men’s Rankings to just 0.44 points following the fourth round of the Nations Championship, with the All Blacks picking up 0.38 points for their 43-21 victory over Scotland.

The Springboks, meanwhile, received no rankings reward for their 66-7 thrashing of an injury-depleted Italy side, leaving Rassie Erasmus’ team on 93.09 points heading into round five, with New Zealand sitting at 92.65.

Ireland remain third on 88.70 points after gaining 0.63 points for a commanding 42-12 home win over Argentina on Friday. France and England hold fourth and fifth respectively, both improving their scores marginally following emphatic victories over Fiji and Australia. England were the biggest movers in the top five, gaining 1.31 points.

Scotland, Australia, Argentina and Fiji all dropped points as a result of their defeats, while Wales strengthened their grip on tenth place by earning 0.99 points from a hard-fought 28-21 home win against Japan.

Further down the rankings, Spain climbed one place to 16th after an 18-12 win over Uruguay, and Tonga rose two spots to 17th following a 43-38 away victory over Romania. Samoa also moved up after a 43-7 win over Zimbabwe. Romania’s defeat dropped them to an all-time low of 23rd, a fall that also benefitted Canada and Belgium in the standings.

The top 10 order remains unchanged from the previous update, but the Nations Championship’s remaining rounds leave the gap between South Africa and New Zealand tight enough that the top spot could yet change hands before the series concludes.