With the 2025 Six Nations Championship kicking off this week, rugby fans are eager to see how the tournament will impact the World Rugby Rankings.

This year’s Championship has the potential to shake things up, as the southern hemisphere giants are still months away from returning to Test match action.

Southern Hemisphere Powers Sitting at the Top

At the moment, the Springboks, All Blacks, Ireland, France, and Argentina hold the top five spots in the World Rugby Rankings, with Scotland, England, Australia, Fiji, and Italy rounding out the top 10.

The key takeaway is that the superpowers of the southern hemisphere are absent for most of the first half of the year, giving their northern rivals a chance to make a move.

Ireland’s Challenging Road to Climbing the Rankings

Ireland, currently sitting in second, faces a tough challenge in the opening round of the Six Nations, where they’ll play England at home.

Even with a victory, they won’t be able to improve their position in the rankings due to the significant 8.47-point gap between the teams.

However, if Ireland loses to England, they risk slipping to third, as New Zealand is poised to overtake them.

If Ireland loses by more than 15 points, France could also pass them, pushing Ireland down to fourth.

France’s Position Is Secure – For Now

While France is also involved in the first round of action, they won’t move up the rankings regardless of their result against Wales.

There’s too large a gap of 14.50 points between them and the Welsh side.

Even if France suffers a loss, they won’t drop out of the top four, but they remain in a somewhat precarious position as they face Wales at home.

Scotland and Italy: Small Shifts Possible

Scotland has a chance to slightly improve their standing, but it would only be by a small margin.

If they defeat Italy at Murrayfield, they could gain up to 0.35 rating points.

However, if England defeats Ireland by more than 15 points, England will leapfrog Scotland into fifth place.

On the other hand, if Italy manages to pull off an impressive win against Scotland, they could jump significantly in the rankings.

A victory by more than 15 points would push Italy to their highest-ever ranking of eighth and drop Scotland to ninth.

Wales Faces an Uphill Battle

Wales, currently in 11th place, won’t see any improvement in their ranking, even if they manage to defeat France by a large margin.

A win by more than 15 points still won’t be enough to move them ahead of Italy in the rankings, as they’ll remain more than a point behind the Azzurri.

World Rugby Rankings Snapshot

Here’s a look at the current World Rugby Rankings before the Six Nations Championship kicks off:

1. South Africa – 92.78 points
1. Ireland – 90.78 points
1. New Zealand – 90.36 points
1. France – 88.51 points
1. Argentina – 84.97 points
1. Scotland – 83.34 points
1. England – 82.31 points
1. Australia – 81.52 points
1. Fiji – 80.07 points
1. Italy – 78.64 points
1. Wales – 74.01 points
1. Georgia – 73.85 points
1. Japan – 72.95 points
1. Samoa – 72.68 points
1. USA – 70.02 points
1. Portugal – 68.82 points
1. Uruguay – 67.06 points
1. Spain – 65.98 points

Looking Ahead: Can the Springboks Hold onto Their Top Spot?

The big question remains: can the Springboks maintain their number one ranking throughout 2025? While they sit comfortably at the top, the action in the Six Nations could set the stage for a reshuffling of the rankings as the northern hemisphere teams jockey for position.

What are your thoughts? Do you think the Springboks will stay at the top, or will another team rise to the challenge as the year unfolds?

This article was published on TDPel Media. Thanks for reading!

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