Reminder: World Rugby rankings as Springboks return to action

The 2026 Nations Championship returns from this Friday, bringing together the top teams from the northern and southern hemispheres in a competition that culminates with a Finals Weekend at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham at the end of the month.

During the July Test matches at the start of the tournament, the Springboks and All Blacks both won all three of their matches, and are tied at the top of the southern hemisphere table rankings.

Meanwhile, France lead the way for the north, but are closely followed by Scotland, England and Ireland.

When it comes to the World Rugby rankings, the Springboks’ shock loss to the Wallabies – coupled with back-to-back wins for the All Blacks over the same opponent recently – has ensured New Zealand are now just 1.28 points behind South Africa.

Third-placed Ireland, in turn, are 3.07 points behind the All Blacks.

Five teams from each hemisphere are now next in action when the Nations Championship competition resumes this month, with the Springboks facing Italy on Saturday.

HERE IS HOW THE RANKINGS LOOK AS THE SPRINGBOKS LOOK TO HANG ONTO TOP SPOT

RankCountryPoints1South Africa

93.09

2New Zealand

91.15

3Ireland

88.08

4France

87.43

5England

85.68

6Scotland

84.78

7Australia

83.55

8Argentina

82.24

9Fiji

78.00

10Wales

76.38

11Italy

76.30

12Japan

76.09

13Georgia

73.94

14USA

69.49

15Portugal

69.39

16Chile

66.94

17Spain

66.83

18Uruguay

65.75

19Tonga

65.14

20Samoa

64.73

HOW THE CURRENT NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP LOGS LOOK

Southern Hemisphere Table

Pos

Team

P

W

D

L

+/-

Pts

1

South Africa

3

3

0

0

+81

15

2New Zealand3300+51153Australia3102+2984Argentina3102-275Japan3102-2646Fiji3003-960

Northern Hemisphere Table

Pos

Team

P

W

D

L

+/-

Pts

1France3201+41122Scotland3201+11113England3201+48104Ireland3201-1105Wales3102-4256Italy3003-940

UPCOMING fixtures (SA kick-off times)

Round 4
**Friday, 6 November
**10:10pm Ireland vs Argentina, Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Saturday, 7 November
1:40pm: Italy vs South Africa, Estadio Camilo Cano, La Nucia
4:10pm: Scotland vs New Zealand, Murrayfield, Edinburgh
6:40pm: Wales vs Japan, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
10:10pm: France vs Fiji, Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Lyon
**Sunday, 8 November
**5:10pm: England vs Australia, Twickenham, London

Round 5
Friday, 13 November
10:10pm: France vs South Africa, Stade de France, Paris
Saturday, 14 November
1:40pm: Italy vs Argentina, Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa
4:10pm: Wales vs New Zealand, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
6:40pm: England vs Japan, Twickenham, London
10:10pm: Ireland vs Fiji, Aviva Stadium, Dublin
**Sunday, 15 November
**5:10pm: Scotland vs Australia, Murrayfield, Edinburgh

**Round 6
**Saturday, 21 November
4:10pm: Scotland vs Japan, Murrayfield, Edinburgh
4:10pm: England vs New Zealand, Twickenham, London
6:40pm: Ireland vs South Africa, Aviva Stadium, Dublin
6:40pm: Italy vs Fiji, Stadio Friuli, Udine
10:10pm: Wales vs Australia, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
10:10pm: France vs Argentina, Stade de France, Paris

Finals Weekend (Twickenham, London)
Friday, 27 November
6:40pm: Northern 6th vs Southern 6th
10:10pm: Northern 5th vs Southern 5th
**Saturday, 28 November
**3:10pm: Northern 4th vs Southern 4th
6:40pm: Northern 3rd vs Southern 3rd
**Sunday, 29 November
**3:10pm: Northern 2nd vs Southern 2nd
6:40pm: Northern 1st vs Southern 1st