Ireland's seven-try rout of Japan lifts Wales back to 11th in World Rugby rankings

Ireland’s women produced a commanding 43-19 victory over Japan at Virgin Media Park in Cork on Saturday, a margin large enough to shift the World Rugby rankings in Wales’s favour and deny the Sakura Fifteen a historic high-water mark.

Eilis Cahill, Brittany Hogan, Neve Jones, Anna McGann, Beibhinn Parsons, Alana McInerney and Sophie Barrett all crossed the whitewash as Ireland ran in seven tries against a Japanese side that had briefly climbed above Wales in the standings.

The result means Ireland have won two of their three fixtures this autumn. Their previous meeting with Japan, a 31-24 victory in Galway one week earlier, fell outside the WXV Global Series window. Their campaign had opened with a painful 40-36 defeat to the USA Women’s Eagles in Dublin, a game in which they surrendered a 19-point lead.

For Wales, the benefit was indirect but meaningful. Three weeks ago they had claimed 11th place with a 50-19 win over the Springbok Women in their WXV Global Series opener, only to be displaced by Japan. Ireland’s victory on Saturday restored them to that position.

Japan had entered the Cork fixture knowing a win by 15 points or more would lift them to joint 10th — their all-time best ranking — but the result ended that prospect. Ireland, meanwhile, could not have advanced beyond fifth regardless of the scoreline.

Elsewhere in the rankings picture, South Africa’s 20-0 win over Spain in Seville was not enough to move them off 10th place.

Ireland head coach Scott Bemand now turns his attention to a two-fixture WXV Global Series trip to face the Springbok Women. “Having a two-and-a-half-three-week tour to Africa is well placed at the right time for us,” Bemand said after the final whistle. “We’ve got some learnings from some of the last three weeks that we’ve got to take over there to a completely different physical challenge. But in two weeks, we’ll be ready.”