New Zealand's 50-19 thrashing of Australia in the Bledisloe Cup decider at Eden Park has closed the gap on South Africa in the World Rugby rankings to just over a point.
The All Blacks added 0.66 rating points off the back of their 31-point winning margin, moving from 91.15 to 91.81. The Springboks remain top on 93.09 — a gap that stood at nearly four points after South Africa won the Rugby Championship series against New Zealand 3-1.
That lead has eroded significantly through two results: Australia's win over the Boks in late September, and now this Bledisloe result. With the Nations Championship to come, the All Blacks will head into November fixtures with an eye on the top ranking, while South Africa face away Tests against Ireland and France — two of the toughest assignments on the calendar.
The match itself was competitive at half-time, with Australia trailing only 17-14 after tries to Tom Wright and Harry Wilson. New Zealand then scored five unanswered tries in the second half through Cam Roigard, Codie Taylor, Leroy Carter, Josh Moorby and Will Jordan, extending Eden Park's unbeaten record — which now stretches back to 1994.
Australia drop from 85.55 to 84.89 in sixth place, now just 0.11 ahead of Scotland in seventh. A second successive defeat next weekend would see them slip behind the Scots.