The Springboks can't gain ranking points from beating Wales — the 17.58-point differential sees to that — but they can certainly lose their number one spot. A defeat of any kind, combined with an All Blacks win over Ireland by more than 15 points, hands New Zealand the summit. Ireland can leapfrog both teams and reclaim top spot, but only if they beat the All Blacks by more than 15 points and the Boks lose by the same margin in Durban — a long shot, but mathematically live. At the other end of the table, Australia face a grimmer milestone: a heavy loss to Italy, combined with a few other results going the wrong way, could see them drop out of the top 10 for the first time since the rankings were introduced in 2003.
AnalysisSpringboksPlanet Rugby · Rugby365· updated
Rankings shake-up on the cards: What the Boks stand to lose this weekend
The Boks risk losing top spot to the All Blacks this weekend if they fall to Wales and New Zealand beat Ireland by more than 15 points. Ireland can go all the way to number one, but need a big win and a Bok loss by the same margin. Meanwhile, Australia face a potentially historic rankings low if Italy beat them heavily and other results align.
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