Springboks vs Ireland: It’s 1 vs 2 in World Rugby rankings!
The top-ranked Springboks will host number-two placed Ireland in back-to-back Tests in a battle for world rugby supremacy.
The first Test will take place at altitude at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday, 6 July.
That match will be followed by a second Test, this time at the coast, at Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Durban on Saturday, 13 July.
The Springboks’ World Rugby ranking points tally was unchanged following their 41-13 win over Wales in their one-off Test at Twickenham in London last Saturday.
The Springboks stayed top on 94.54 points, with Wales down in 10th place on 77.26.
Meanwhile, Ireland lie second on 90.69 points.
Explainer
It is possible for Ireland to take over from the Springboks atop the standings following the Pretoria Test.
For that to happen, Ireland would need to win by 16 or more points. That would see them pick up 2.53 points, while the Springboks would lose a similar amount.
Should Ireland win by 15 or fewer points, they will pick up 1.69 points (and the Springboks would lose 1.69 points), but that would not be enough to see a change at the top.
A draw would see Ireland gain 0.69 points (and the Springboks lose that same number).
A win by 1-15 points for the Springboks would see Rassie Erasmus’s men add 0.31 points to their tally, while victory by 16 or more points would see South Africa gain 0.47 points.
In total, Rassie Erasmus’ men will play 13 times this year.
LATEST WORLD RUGBY RANKINGS
RankCountryPoints1South Africa94.542Ireland90.693New Zealand89.804France87.925England85.976Scotland82.827Argentina80.688Italy79.419Australia77.4810Wales77.26
