Italy were the big winners in the first round of the Six Nations, and an upset win over Scotland has also helped them gain a little boost in the World Rugby rankings, while Ireland and Scotland have dropped down.
Considering that the Springboks will play Italy in the pool stages of the next World Cup, Rassie Erasmus and his team would certainly have taken notice of their impressive victory against Scotland.
In that game, wet-weather conditions made ball-handling a constant challenge, yet the home side capitalised on their opportunities to claim a famous 18-15 win at an immensely atmospheric Stadio Olimpico.
Meanwhile, England’s 48–7 win was a statement of intent for the 2026 Championship, after a similarly impressive Thursday night result from France against Ireland. It also extended England’s winning streak to 11 matches.
SLIGHT CHANGES TO RUGBY RANKINGS
England’s big win didn’t improve their rankings position in third place, but the constant improvement of the team under Steve Borthwick is certainly something to keep a close eye heading towards the next World Cup.
Italy have now jumped ahead of Scotland into ninth place on the rankings table.
As is stands, there is a 3.61 World Rugby rankings points gap between the Springboks and second-placed New Zealand, followed closely by England and France.
HERE IS HOW THE LATEST TABLE LOOK NOW
| Rank | Country | Points |
| 1 | South Africa | 93.94 |
| 2 | New Zealand | 90.33 |
| 3 | England | 89.41 |
| 4 | France | 88.40 |
| 5 | Ireland | 86.81 |
| 6 | Argentina | 84.97 |
| 7 | Australia | 81.53 |
| 8 | Fiji | 81.14 |
| 9 | Italy | 79.81 |
| 10 | Scotland | 79.40 |
| 11 | Wales | 74.23 |
| 12 | Japan | 74.09 |
| 13 | Georgia | 73.18 |
| 14 | Uruguay | 69.19 |
| 15 | Spain | 69.01 |
| 16 | USA | 68.26 |
| 17 | Chile | 66.72 |
| 18 | Tonga | 66.66 |
| 19 | Samoa | 66.43 |
| 20 | Portugal | 64.98 |
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