How the Springboks could lose No 1 ranking to Ireland

The Springboks could lose their No 1 World Rugby ranking to Ireland at Kings Park in Durban on Saturday, 13 July.

Kick-off is at 17:00 (SA time).

The top-ranked Springboks will host number-two placed Ireland in the second of their back-to-back Tests in a battle for world rugby supremacy.

The first Test took place in Pretoria last weekend and saw the world champion Springboks run out 27-20 winners.

HERE’S HOW

Ahead of the Test in Durban, the Springboks sit top of the rankings pile with 94.86 points, with Ireland in second place on 90.37.

It is possible for Ireland to take over from the Springboks atop the standings following the Durban Test.

For that to happen, Ireland would need to win by 16 or more points. That would see them pick up 2.63 points (and move to 93.00), while the Springboks would lose a similar amount (and slip to 92.23).

That’s the only possible result that would see Ireland reclaim the No 1 spot.

Should Ireland win by 15 or fewer points, they will pick up 1.75 points (and the Springboks would lose 1.75 points), but that would not be enough to see a change at the top.

A draw would see Ireland gain 0.75 points (and the Springboks lose that same number).

A win by 1-15 points for the Springboks would see Rassie Erasmus’s men add 0.25 points to their tally, while victory by 16 or more points would see South Africa gain 0.38 points.

The Springboks and Ireland have clashed on 29 occasions since 1906. Ireland have only won nine of those matches.

To their credit, eight of those victories have come in the last 13 Tests.

Only twice in those nine wins have Ireland managed to claim victory by 16 or more points: 32-15 in Dublin in November 2006 and 38-3, once again in Dublin, in November 2017.

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