All Blacks close to within a point of Springboks after back-to-back Bledisloe routs

New Zealand have closed to within 0.82 World Rugby ranking points of South Africa after dismantling Australia 50-19 in Auckland and 43-21 in Sydney to sweep the Bledisloe Cup series.

The Springboks currently sit top on 93.09 points to the All Blacks’ 92.27 — a dramatically tighter margin than the nearly four-point gap that existed after South Africa sealed a 3-1 series win over New Zealand in Baltimore in mid-September. South Africa’s subsequent defeat to Australia, combined with New Zealand’s dominant Bledisloe campaign, has reshaped the standings considerably.

The All Blacks have a clear opportunity to narrow the deficit further when the Nations Championship resumes on 7 November. South Africa face Italy, who sit outside the world’s top ten, meaning the Springboks cannot gain ranking points from that fixture regardless of the result. New Zealand, by contrast, face Scotland — a side ranked sixth on 84.78 points — and a win would eat further into South Africa’s lead.

Scotland have never beaten the All Blacks, though Gregor Townsend’s side came close last November before a Damian McKenzie masterclass off the bench denied them. The Scots have moved up to sixth in the rankings after Australia slipped to seventh, the Wallabies losing 0.46 points following their most recent defeat to New Zealand.

Current World Rugby Men’s Rankings

1. South Africa – 93.09
2. New Zealand – 92.27
3. Ireland – 88.08
4. France – 87.43
5. England – 85.68
6. Scotland – 84.78
7. Australia – 84.43
8. Argentina – 82.24
9. Japan – 77.28
10. Fiji – 76.81
11. Wales – 76.38
12. Italy – 76.30