South Africa retain top spot in the World Rugby Men's Rankings after Monday's update, but their lead over New Zealand has narrowed to 1.68 points following the latest Nations Championship results.
The Springboks earned no rankings points from their 43-0 win over Wales, while the All Blacks gained 1.24 points for their 40-21 defeat of third-ranked Ireland. South Africa's rating holds at 93.96 against New Zealand's 92.28.
The rest of the top nine is unchanged, with England and Scotland both picking up points for wins over Argentina and Fiji respectively, consolidating fifth and sixth. France and Ireland also hold their positions despite the latter's defeat in Auckland.
The biggest mover in the top 12 is Italy, who drop two places to 12th after a 57-10 hammering by Australia — their third consecutive defeat in the Nations Championship following losses to Japan and New Zealand. It is Italy's lowest-ranked position since 18 September 2023 during the Rugby World Cup in France, and effectively erases much of the ground gained during the Six Nations, where they beat Scotland and recorded a first-ever win over England. Japan and Wales each rise one place to 10th and 11th despite their own defeats, as neither side shed ranking points.
In the Nations Cup, Hong Kong China produced the result of the weekend, beating hosts Uruguay 42-40 with a last-gasp long-range penalty to move up one place to 23rd, leapfrogging Canada. Romania also came from behind to edge Samoa 38-37 — with 24 unanswered points in the final quarter — and climb to 21st.