Chronicle Editor
IRELAND moved past Wales into fourth spot on the official World Rugby rankings following their 24-14 Six Nations victory in Dublin at the weekend.
The Irish gained 0.74 of a rating point to move to 85.36, with the Welsh dropping 0.74 points to 84.28.
England, who beat Scotland 13-6 at a rain-swept Murrayfield in Edinburgh, remain in third position, but have closed the gap somewhat on second-placed New Zealand with a 0.47 rating point gain.
France, who beat Italy 35-22 in Paris on Sunday, remain in sixth position, while the Azzurri dropped a spot below Georgia to 13th.
Meanwhile, the world champions Springboks remain top of the standings on 94.19 points, 2.08 ahead of rivals All Blacks.
Top 20 in the latest World Rugby rankings
1. South Africa 94.19, 2. New Zealand 92.11, 3. England 87.80, 4. Ireland 85.36, 5. Wales 84.28, 6. France 82.37, 7. Australia 81.90, 8. Japan 79.28, 9. Scotland 78.58, 10. Argentina 78.31, 11. Fiji 76.21, 12. Georgia 72.70, 13. Italy 72.04, 14. Tonga 71.44, 15. Samoa 70.72, 16. Spain 68.28, 17. USA 68.10, 18. Uruguay 67.41, 19. Romania 65.11, 20. Portugal 62.40
Others23. Namibia 61.01, 32. Kenya 52.55, 35. Zimbabwe 50.69 – Sport24.co.za
Online Reporter