The Springboks have dropped to fifth in the World Rugby rankings after suffering a humiliating 20-18 loss to Italy on Saturday.

A first-ever defeat to Italy cost South Africa two full rankings points, as they have dropped from 84.49 to 82.49. The reduction sees the Boks slipping from fourth to fifth to be ranked behind Ireland.

The top three – New Zealand, England and Australia – remain unchanged. That said, the All Blacks’ rating improved by 0.21 of a point and the Wallabies’ tally increased by 0.63 of a point following their respective wins this past weekend.

Meanwhile, Scotland recorded their highest rankings tally in five years after securing a last-gasp 19-16 win over Argentina. The Scots bettered their rating by 0.79 of a point. This lifted them two places to seventh, above France and Argentina, who have dropped to eighth and ninth respectively.

World Rugby rankings (Top 15)
1. New Zealand 94.78
2. England 89.84
3. Australia 88.14
4. Ireland 83.46
5. South Africa 82.49
6. Wales 81.77
7. Scotland 80.57
8. France 80.13
9. Argentina 79.91
10. Fiji 75.49
11. Japan 75.20
12. Georgia 74.24
13. Italy 74.23
14. Samoa 70.91
15. Tonga 70.25

Full rankings
How the rankings work

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