Cape Town - New Zealand and Australia have improved their IRB rating points with victories against South Africa and Argentina respectively in their final Rugby Championship Tests.
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New Zealand were guaranteed to end the Rugby Championship as the No 1 side in the world regardless of the outcome of their title decider at Ellis Park, but by winning a nine-try thriller 38-27 the All Blacks have improved their rating by almost a point.
The world champions now have a 5.19 rating point cushion over South Africa, who despite the defeat are still more than two points ahead of England, the leading northern hemisphere nation in the rankings.
Australia’s emphatic 54-17 victory over Argentina in Rosario improved their own rating by more than nine tenths, but the Wallabies still remain 1.51 points below England. They did, though, avoid the prospect of dropping to a lowest ever sixth position with victory over the Pumas.
Argentina are still looking for their first victory since joining the Rugby Championship and remain 10th, slipping closer to Tonga below than they now are to Scotland above.
Top 10 in the latest IRB rankings:
1. New Zealand 93.05
2. South Africa 87.86
3. England 85.76
4. Australia 84.25
5. France 81.59
6. Wales 81.36
7. Samoa 80.42
8. Ireland 79.58
9. Scotland 76.95
10. Argentina 75.50
VIDEO: Jet flies over Ellis Park
QUIZ: Tackle Sport24's almost impossible, yet highly addictive quiz!
New Zealand were guaranteed to end the Rugby Championship as the No 1 side in the world regardless of the outcome of their title decider at Ellis Park, but by winning a nine-try thriller 38-27 the All Blacks have improved their rating by almost a point.
The world champions now have a 5.19 rating point cushion over South Africa, who despite the defeat are still more than two points ahead of England, the leading northern hemisphere nation in the rankings.
Australia’s emphatic 54-17 victory over Argentina in Rosario improved their own rating by more than nine tenths, but the Wallabies still remain 1.51 points below England. They did, though, avoid the prospect of dropping to a lowest ever sixth position with victory over the Pumas.
Argentina are still looking for their first victory since joining the Rugby Championship and remain 10th, slipping closer to Tonga below than they now are to Scotland above.
Top 10 in the latest IRB rankings:
1. New Zealand 93.05
2. South Africa 87.86
3. England 85.76
4. Australia 84.25
5. France 81.59
6. Wales 81.36
7. Samoa 80.42
8. Ireland 79.58
9. Scotland 76.95
10. Argentina 75.50