World Rugby confirm Springboks are well placed

The Springboks made the journey from Bordeaux to Paris on Monday where they will begin their preparations for Saturday’s round-three RWC clash against Ireland.

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Currently, the Boks are just one log point behind Ireland in Pool B, with the winner of this weekend’s match likely to finish top of the World Cup group.

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Quite ironically, there is also very little that separates these two teams in the World Rugby rankings, with the Springboks just 0.15 points behind Ireland.

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The winner of this Saturday’s game, though, will move clear at the top of the rankings.

It’s sure to be a cracking clash at the Stade de France, with kick off on Saturday at 9pm.

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THE SPRINGBOKS ARE WELL PLACED IN THE WORLD RANKINGS

Elsewhere in the latest world rankings, Fiji’s first win over Australia since 1954 has been rewarded with a one-place gain in the World Rugby Men’s Rankings.

Sunday’s historic 22-15 victory in Saint-Étienne puts Fiji up to eighth, one place behind Wales, who were pushed hard by Portugal 24 hours earlier before winning 28-8.

As well as having an impact on the rankings, Fiji’s first-ever Rugby World Cup win over the Wallabies throws Pool C wide open with Wales leading the way on 10 points.

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Fiji and Australia are locked together on six points after two matches with Fiji ahead thanks to their head-to-head record as teams chase the top-two finish that guarantees a place in the quarter-finals.

All the teams above Wales and Fiji in the rankings remain in the same position that they started the weekend after victories against lower-ranked opposition.

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The top four – Ireland, South Africa, France and New Zealand – recorded wins over Tonga, Romania, Uruguay and Namibia respectively. Scotland, in fifth, did not play.

Like Wales, England left it late before securing a try bonus-point, their 34-12 win over Japan improving their rating by just two-hundredths of a point.  As a result, England remain in sixth, 2.58 points better off than Wales.

With Wales and Fiji on the up, Australia have moved in the opposite direction, dropping two places to a record-equalling low of ninth.

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