Rugby World Rankings: Six Nations Leaves England Reeling, Argentina Moves Into Top Five
The latest Rugby World Rankings update following a dramatic fourth round of Six Nations action has left England down the list and Argentina the weekend’s big beneficiary, while the summit positions remain unchanged.
Rugby World Rankings: Who Moved
World Rugby figures for the standings after Round Four show South Africa and New Zealand remain first and second and will be unaffected by the remaining fixtures. Ireland sits third, with France in fourth. Argentina moved into fifth place after a positive swing in points, and England dropped to sixth following a string of defeats in the championship.
Round Four point movements highlighted several clear winners and losers: Scotland gained 1. 37 ranking points, France lost 1. 37 points, England lost 1. 28 points, and Italy gained 1. 28 points. Argentina recorded a one-point rise that took them into fifth overall.
Listed positions drawn from the published figures show the upper places as follows:
- 1 South Africa — 93. 942
- 2 New Zealand — 90. 333
- 3 Ireland — 88. 894
- 4 France — 87. 03 (−1. 37)
- 5 Argentina — 84. 97 (↑1)
- 6 England — 84. 34 (−1. 28)
What England, Ireland and France Need
England can still improve their position in the standings depending on Super Saturday results, but their path is narrow. A victory for England over France by more than 15 points coupled with a Scotland win by the same margin in Dublin would see England climb back to third. Even without a large-margin result elsewhere, a win in Paris would guarantee England moving ahead of Argentina and France in the table.
Ireland are best placed to finish the Six Nations as the highest-ranked northern team: avoiding defeat to Scotland in Dublin would be sufficient for them to retain third place. France can reach third if they beat England and Scotland end their losing run in Dublin; those outcomes do not require 15-point margins.
Wider Stakes: Scotland, Italy, Georgia and Portugal
Scotland’s comprehensive win over France earned them 1. 37 points and leaves them positioned to climb further: a victory over Ireland by more than 15 points would lift them to fifth, equalling their all-time best ranking. Italy recorded their first Six Nations win over England in 33 attempts, a result that delivered a 1. 28-point gain and helped push England down the list.
At the lower end of the table, several movements remain possible depending on Rugby Europe Championship outcomes. Georgia can equal their all-time high of 11th if they beat Portugal by more than 15 points paired with a Wales defeat. Portugal stand to climb to 14th with a win over Georgia, which would also shift the gap between the two sides markedly; Spain and Romania’s fixtures likewise have implications for places further down the list.
The standings will be officially updated on Monday. With one round of Six Nations matches still to play and continental fixtures ongoing, the mid-table permutations remain live and could produce further reshuffling, but the top two positions are locked for now.
