A Springbok victory over New Zealand in the second Test of the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series would be enough to return South Africa to the top of the World Rugby Men's Rankings, which they currently occupy in second place on 92.21 points behind New Zealand's 94.03.
Back-to-back All Blacks wins, particularly if the second also exceeds a 15-point margin, could stretch New Zealand's advantage to as much as 4.28 rating points. However, South Africa cannot drop below second regardless of the result — even a heavy defeat leaves them nearly three points clear of Ireland in third.
Elsewhere in the weekend's permutations, Australia can leapfrog Argentina into seventh with a win in Jujuy. Argentina, currently seventh on 83.13, cannot improve their position with victory but could close to within 0.22 points of Scotland in sixth. The Wallabies are guaranteed to remain eighth in defeat, holding at least a 3.24-point buffer over Fiji.
Current World Rugby Men's Rankings — Top 10:
- New Zealand – 94.03
- South Africa – 92.21
- Ireland – 88.08
- France – 87.43
- England – 85.68
- Scotland – 84.78
- Argentina – 83.13
- Australia – 82.67
- Fiji – 78.00
- Wales – 76.38