Springboks eye chance to stretch lead at the top of World Rugby Rankings

At the moment, the Boks are almost three points ahead of the All Blacks, who cannot get any closer due to playing the 12th-placed Welsh in Cardiff.

Based on the current World Rugby rankings points scenario, the Boks have a clear opportunity to extend their lead even further this weekend.

A victory over Ireland would increase their advantage by up to a further 1.38 points, depending on the margin, while even a draw would still slightly boost their lead.

Only a loss would reduce their edge - though not enough to see them lose top spot.

The only scenario that would see the Boks surrender their No 1 ranking heading into 2026 is if they lose to both Ireland and 12th-ranked Wales the following week.

England are just behind the Boks and All Blacks in third and could move slightly closer to New Zealand with a victory over Argentina at Twickenham on Sunday.

However, should the unthinkable happen and both the English and Kiwis succumb this weekend, then the Boks could have a six-point advantage with a win in Dublin, with Argentina moving up to second place.

The story will be different if Andy Farrell's men are triumphant at the Aviva Stadium, however. A win of any kind would bring Erasmus' side much closer to the pack, while a success of more than 15 points would reduce the Boks' lead to less than one ranking point.

World Rugby rankings (As of 22/11/2025)

1 South Africa 93.06
2 New Zealand 90.33
3 England 89.09
4 Ireland 88.85
5 France 87.07
6 Argentina 85.30
7 Australia 81.69
8 Fiji 81.03
9 Scotland 80.22
10 Italy 78.98
11 Georgia 74.69
12 Wales 74.23
13 Japan 72.58
14 Spain 69.12
15 Uruguay 68.52
16 USA 68.26
17 Samoa 66.94
18 Chile 66.72
19 Tonga 66.66
20 Portugal 64.89

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