Autumn Internationals underway and the Southern Hemisphere is smiling

With all of the major international sides having played, and England, Scotland, New Zealand and Fiji having played twice, it is clear who has the upper hand (for now) and the world rankings have moved accordingly.

All 4 southern hemisphere teams have a clean record thus far: New Zealand’s All Blacks are 2-0 having beaten England 24-22 in the opening match and Ireland 23-13 in Dublin. The All Blacks move up a spot to #2 in the world as a result. South Africa’s Sprinhgboks won their opening match 32-15 against Scotland at Murrayfield in Edinburgh and move to #1. Argentina are also 1-0 beating Italy in Udine 50-18 moving up a spot to #5 while Italy drop to #10 from #8. And Australia’s Wallabies, whose fortunes on the rugby field have been dismal of late won a terrific match against England at Twickenham 42-27 with a last minute try that sealed the win. Australia move up to #8 from 10 and England drop 2 spots to #7.

England are 0-2, at home, a disappointing start for a team that showed real spark in the latter stages of the 6 Nations and in the summer internationals. Next weekend’s opponent is South Africa which will probably pose a greater test of England’s resolve. Scotland are 1-1 having won their first match against Fiji and then ran into the best team in the world. However, the combination of results moves them up a spot to #6. Ireland fall 2 spots to #3 after losing to New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium and France, who had a comfortable 52-12 win against Tier 2 nation Japan in Paris stay at #4. Fiji are 1-1 and stay at #9 after losing 57-17 to Scotland in their opener and then edging Wales 24-19 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. Wales remain outside the top 10 rankings at #11.

Highlights include: home advantage has been of little value to the European sides when they’ve met the stiffest opposition although Scotland’s performance against the Springboks was inspired by fantastic support. England’s return to Twickenham (now known as the Allianz Stadium) was welcomed by sell-out crowds who so far have little to celebrate. Those who have been writing off New Zealand saw 2 exciting and hard-fought wins that reminded opponents not to give them an inch. Ireland would love to take on the Boks at home after their early departure in the World Cup last year but may be regretting not having a chance to play them in this series. The South African team has proven that even when not operating on all cylinders (they conceded a lot of possession against Scotland’s high intensity defense) they still manage to win. A victory against England at Twickenham on November 16 will keep them #1 through year-end and it is hard to see who unseats them in the short run. Their use of a 7-1 split in favor of forwards on the bench essentially renews the entire pack in the second half, enough to blunt Scotland’s brave performance. Very tough to beat.

Next up: 11/15 - Ireland vs. Argentina; 11/16 - England vs. South Africa, France vs. New Zealand, Scotland vs. Portugal; 11/17 - Italy vs. Georgia, Wales vs. Australia

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