France, Wales and Samoa upsets reshape World Rugby Rankings after historic weekend

France, Wales and Samoa all defeated higher-ranked opponents across a single weekend of international rugby, producing one of the most disruptive sets of results in recent memory and leaving the World Rugby Rankings significantly altered heading into the new week.

France’s 21-year wait to beat South Africa on home soil ended at the Stade de France on Friday, while Wales claimed a historic victory over New Zealand — their first in 73 years — and Samoa defeated an in-form Portugal 36-5 in the World Rugby Nations Cup. Spain also suffered an upset, losing 25-20 at home to Chile.

Despite both the top two sides losing within 24 hours of each other — a rare occurrence at the summit — South Africa and New Zealand retain first and second place respectively. The gap between them has, however, doubled to 0.88 points, with the All Blacks’ heavy points loss reflecting the scale of the upset. South Africa sit on 91.53 points; New Zealand on 90.65.

The most significant positional change in the top five sees France climb to third at Ireland’s expense. Les Bleus gained 1.56 ranking points for their win over the world champions, lifting their total to 89.05, while Ireland’s 43-15 victory over Fiji carried no ranking reward, leaving them on 88.70 in fourth. England remain fifth on 86.99, and Scotland hold sixth after edging Australia 15-12 at Murrayfield.

Wales gained two ranking points for their historic All Blacks win and rise one place to ninth, sitting just behind Argentina in eighth. Fiji move into tenth, the position Wales previously occupied.

The disruption is even more pronounced outside the top ten. Samoa’s 36-5 demolition of Portugal propels them three places up to 16th, while Portugal slip to 15th. Spain drop two places to 18th following their home defeat to Chile, who climb above them to 17th.

In the Nations Cup, USA recorded a 53-24 away win over Romania and now trail Georgia by just one place — 14th to 13th — with a 5.84-point gap separating the sides. The two teams meet on the final weekend of the tournament, giving the Men’s Eagles a direct opportunity to close that deficit.

Updated World Rugby Rankings Top 20

1. South Africa – 91.53
2. New Zealand – 90.65
3. France – 89.05
4. Ireland – 88.70
5. England – 86.99
6. Scotland – 85.28
7. Australia – 82.24
8. Argentina – 82.09
9. Wales – 79.37
10. Fiji – 77.79
11. Italy – 75.84
12. Japan – 75.25
13. Georgia – 74.23
14. USA – 68.39
15. Portugal – 68.24
16. Samoa – 67.60
17. Chile – 67.00
18. Spain – 66.53
19. Tonga – 65.58
20. Uruguay – 65.17