• Ireland could unseat Wales as No 1

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    Joe Schmidt’s Ireland will move to the top of the World Rugby rankings should they defeat England in a World Cup warm-up fixture this weekend.

    A victory would result in Ireland claiming their first-ever No 1 ranking since the ranking system was introduced in 2003. The Irish will replace Wales, who themselves just recently surpassed New Zealand as the highest ranked team, and move into top spot.

    Should England win at Twickenham this Saturday, they will reclaim fourth place from South Africa after the two sides switched places following the Springboks’ narrow victory over Argentina at Loftus.

    Kick-off is at 4pm SA time.

    World Rugby rankings:
    1. Wales 89.43
    2. New Zealand 89.40
    3. Ireland 88.69
    4. South Africa 86.83
    5. England 86.79
    6. Australia 84.05
    7. France 80.58
    8. Scotland 79.01
    9. Japan 77.21
    10. Fiji 76.98

    Full rankings
    How the rankings work

    Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images

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    SA Rugby magazine