South Africa’s bid to set the highest-ever World Rugby points total ended after a 42-38 defeat to Australia; the Springboks remain top but their record run is paused and Australia move up a place.
A single defeat has ended South Africa’s chance to surpass the All Blacks’ 2016 high of 96.57 in the current sequence of fixtures.
South Africa still lead the rankings ahead of New Zealand (91.15), with Ireland and France unchanged in third and fourth.
South Africa's attempt to become the highest-scoring team in World Rugby rankings history stalled after a chaotic one-off Test in Perth. Australia beat the world champions 42-38 in a match that finished with just 11 Wallabies on the pitch and four Australian players sent to the sin bin in the final 10 minutes.
The Test was unusually disorderly. Rassie Erasmus made 13 changes to the Springboks side that had just completed a 3-1 series win over New Zealand. Australia delivered an unexpected performance and held out despite the late disciplinary issues that left them reduced in numbers. South Africa mounted a comeback but ultimately fell short.
World Rugby's published rankings show the direct consequences:
The result confirms that South Africa's planned run to a new highest-ever rankings total is halted: a single defeat among their upcoming fixtures was enough to derail that record attempt.
South Africa had set their highest tally at 95.09 points after the 3-1 series over New Zealand, and World Rugby rankings calculations suggested wins across the remainder of 2026 Tests would allow them to exceed the All Blacks' 2016 total of 96.57. South Africa's autumn schedule before the end of the year included Nations Championship matches against Italy, France and Ireland. Losing in Perth removed the margin needed to break that historic high.
The published top 10 after the Perth Test (World Rugby rankings, September 28):
South Africa remain number one but with a reduced cushion over New Zealand (1.94 points). The loss increases pressure on Erasmus' side in their forthcoming Tests, where further defeats would widen the gap. Australia's jump to sixth is their best position in a year and is a concrete reward for a statement win.
The Perth Test changed the immediate ranking narrative: South Africa are still world champions and top-ranked, but their clear path to a new all-time rankings high has been interrupted by one defeat. Australia's rise shows how single Test results can shift the table, especially ahead of the November fixtures.
Having wrapped up a 3-1 victory in the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series following their emphatic 43-28 win over the All Blacks in Baltimore on Saturday, South Africa have pulled further clear at the top of the rankings.
The new world rankings show how far clear South Africa are of the rest and they could become the greatest side ever later this year
The Springboks have reached their highest points total in the history of the World Rugby rankings after sealing a 3-1 series victory over the All Blacks. The post Boks hit record rankings high appeared first on SA Rugby magazine .
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