New World Rugby rankings see Wales and England climb in dramatic shift

The first round of Rugby World Cup fixtures are done and dusted and it’s made for big changes in the global rankings, with no fewer than eight teams either moving up or down the table.

Wales are among the biggest climbers with their dramatic win over Fiji on Sunday night seeing them move up from 10th and back into the top eight teams in the world, leapfrogging the Pacific Islanders who drop from seventh to ninth having started the tournament in their highest ever position.

However, it is England that have enjoyed the highest rise as their impressive 27-10 victory over Argentina has seen them knocking on the door of the top five, with an increase of 3.27 points putting them in sixth, up two places from their pre-tournament standing.

The Pumas, meanwhile, have plummeted down the table, falling from sixth to 10th, just ahead of Samoa and Italy whose first round wins saw them each rise one place to 11th and 12th respectively.

Elsewhere in Wales’ pool, Australia have risen from ninth to seventh after their 35-15 dismantling of Georgia, with their opponents falling from 11th to 13th.

And while there have been no positional changes at the top of the standings, gaps are starting to be closed with South Africa’s win over Scotland seeing them move just 0.15 points behind current number ones Ireland, while third placed France have also put distance between themselves and New Zealand after beating them on the opening night.

The All Blacks are nearly three points behind the tournament hosts as they remain in fourth place, while Gregor Townsend’s side are in real danger of being overtaken by England as they hold a slender 0.21 point lead over their old enemy.

Here’s how the rankings look after the first round of World Cup matches.

The latest World Rugby rankings: