New Zealand have moved closer to South Africa in the World Rugby rankings after they thrashed Australia 50-19 at Eden Park to retain the Bledisloe Cup.
The Wallabies arrived at the clash high on confidence after a five-match unbeaten run, but Dave Rennie’s men outplayed them on Saturday. Tries from Tom Wright and Harry Wilson kept Australia in touch at the break, and the All Blacks led 17-14 at half-time. They then pulled away in the second period.
Peter Lakai and Tupou Vaa’i crossed for New Zealand in the first half. They went on to score five more tries in the final 40 minutes, through Cam Roigard, Codie Taylor, Leroy Carter, Josh Moorby and Will Jordan. The result extended their unbeaten run at Eden Park, which stretches back to 1994.
How the Bledisloe Cup impacted the standings
The All Blacks’ 31-point win added 0.66 to their rating, lifting them from 91.15 to 91.81. That leaves them just over a point behind the Springboks, who sit on 93.09.
The gap stood at almost four points after Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry concluded. The back-to-back world champions won three Tests in a row to take the series 3-1. The gap has since narrowed significantly, following the Wallabies’ triumph over the Boks in late September and the All Blacks’ success on Saturday.
If they win next weekend’s encounter, the All Blacks may fancy their chances of finishing the year as the number one ranked team in the world. The Springboks face tougher assignments on paper, with trips to Ireland and France in November during the Nations Championship.
Australia maintain sixth place despite the heavy defeat. They drop from 85.55 to 84.89, just 0.11 ahead of Scotland, who are seventh. Another defeat next weekend would see the Wallabies slip behind the Scots. Australia could have moved into fourth with a victory by more than 15 points, their highest ranking since November 2021, but they fell well short of that.
World Rugby men’s rankings
1. South Africa 93.09
2. New Zealand 91.81
3. Ireland 88.08
4. France 87.43
5. England 85.68
6. Australia 84.89
7. Scotland 84.78
8. Argentina 82.24
9. Japan 77.28
10. Fiji 76.81
11. Wales 76.38
12. Italy 76.30
13. Georgia 73.94
14. Portugal 69.39
15. USA 67.58
16. Chile 66.94
17. Spain 66.83
18. Uruguay 65.75
19. Tonga 65.14
20. Samoa 64.73