New Zealand has reclaimed the top spot in the World Rugby rankings following South Africa’s 21-19 defeat to France at the Stade de France in Paris.
The Springboks’ loss, coupled with a 1.56-point gain for Les Bleus, shifts the global hierarchy as the All Blacks return to the summit for the second time this year.
This latest shift follows a volatile period in the standings, as Dave Rennie’s side previously ascended to the top after defeating South Africa in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, only to be knocked back down a week later following a loss in Cape Town.
The result marks France’s first victory over South Africa in Paris since 2005. The hosts established control early, leading from the 14th minute after capitalizing on the sin-binning of Lood de Jager for a high tackle on Maxime Lucu. Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang scored shortly after, followed by a try from Theo Attissogbe.
Although Jan-Hendrik Wessels responded for the Springboks, Louis Bielle-Biarrey added a try for France to maintain their advantage before the break. Kurt-Lee Arendse appeared to score on the stroke of half-time, but the effort was disallowed due to an offside ruling at the lineout.
The second half was hampered for the visitors by a red card issued to Jasper Wiese. Despite late tries from Cobus Reinach and Malcolm Marx, South Africa fell short when Manie Libbok failed to convert the final score, leaving the team two points shy of the victory. According to Planet Rugby, this outcome sees South Africa drop to second place, while France moves ahead of Ireland into third position.
The current rankings place New Zealand at the top with 92.65 points, followed by South Africa with 91.53 points. While Ireland faces Fiji in Dublin this weekend, they are unable to reclaim third place due to the rating point difference between the two sides.
The Springboks could potentially return to the top of the standings before the weekend concludes, but that requires Wales to achieve their first-ever professional era win over the All Blacks. If Steve Tandy’s side manages that feat, New Zealand will drop back to second and cannot fall lower regardless of the margin of defeat.
