Autumn Internationals confirm the rankings
With just one match remaining in the series (Ireland vs. Australia on 11/30), the rest of the Southern hemisphere teams are returning home after a pretty satisfying month up North.
#1 ranked South Africa had an unblemished 3-0 record having beaten the 3 Brtitish teams that at time tested the Springboks but never seemed to worry them too much. For the record, however, they did not play the two teams closest to them in the rankings, Ireland and France.
New Zealand go home 3-1, beating England, Ireland and Italy and losing to France by a single point at the cauldron called Stade de France. While not perfect, the All Blacks certainly dealt with Ireland, and England convincingly.
Argentina were 1-2, beating Italy but losing to the 2 teams the Boks didn’t play, France and Ireland and reinforcing their reputation as a serious, top-tier side with enough young talent to be taken seriously in 2027 in Australia.
And Australia, who came to Europe with their tails between their legs, will go home with at least 2 wins to their credit, against England and Wales and having out on a good show against Scotland at Murrayfield. This has reignited interest in next summer’s Lions tour Down Under, a massive spectator occasion.
For the hosts, France topped out the European teams with a 3-0 record, beating Japan, New Zealand and Argentina. Home fixtures in France have a tangible advantage and locals will be disappointed not to have seen a revenge match against the Springboks who beat France in the RWC Q Final last October by just 1 point.
Scotland finished 3-1 but did not play any teams above them in the ranking, beating Fiji, Portugal and Australia. Nonetheless they have had a good 2024 putting them in contention for the next 6 Nations.
Ireland (with 1 match to play) are 2-1, playing well but the loss to the All Blacks showing they’re still in a post-Sexton adjustment phase. As reigning 6 Nations champs they will want to put in a dominant performance against Australia on November 30.
England continued to disappoint winning just 1 of 4 matches, against Japan. Despite having a wide array of talent in the squad, New Zealand, Australia and S. Africa were better on the day, making February’s 6 Nations a key tournament for players and coaches alike. As of now, England rank #4 out of 6 in that competition.
So 2024’s major internationals are done and the World Rankings are clear with back-to-back RWC winners, South Africa at #1 and plenty of top talent trying to move up the table to challenge rugby’s orthodoxy. The top 11 (in deference to Wales): 2) Ireland; 3) New Zealand; 4) France; 5) Argentina; 6) Scotland; 7) England; 8) Australia; 9) Fiji; 10) Italy 11) Wales.
In addition to Ireland v. Australia the Premiership restarts on 11/29 with Quins v. Bristol Bears and the United Rugby Championship gets back into gear with Glasgow Warriors v. Scarlets and Ulster v. Leinster. The Prem live streams on therugbynetwork.com and the URC on florugby.com.