Never since the introduction of the official World Rugby men’s rankings 21 years ago has any side made quite such a mockery of the rating system than South Africa right now.
The mighty Springboks, reigning back-to-back World Cup champions, have just clinched the Rugby Championship, and they did so with the authority that befits a world champion outfit. In the process, Rassie Erasmus’s charges enhanced their growing reputation as the indestructible subjugators of world rugby.
And, yet, South Africa are currently only ranked second on the World Rugby Rankings, 0.35 points adrift of Ireland. How bizarre.
Through losing rather unexpectedly – and by the narrow margin of 28-29 – to Argentina in Santiago del Estero on September 21st, the Boks relinquished the number one spot on the rankings that they had held since last year’s World Cup in France. That was the only blemish during an otherwise undisputed Rugby Championship campaign.
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Is rugby set to change forever?
Not only did they claim the title almost by force, but the South Africans also exhibited their new-found expansive flair under Kiwi attack coach Tony Brown by racking up the most points (188), tries (24), metres made (3,035), passes (889) and line breaks (50), finishing the tournament an astonishing eight championship points clear of runners-up New Zealand.
Still, even though the Boks have now secured four consecutive wins against the All Blacks for the first time in 75 years, lifted the Freedom Cup for the first time in 15 years, and won the Rugby Championship for the first time in five years, Ireland, without even kicking a ball, are currently sitting pretty at the top of the test rankings.
Andy Farrell’s charges set up their rankings conquest three months ago when they upstaged South Africa 25-24 in Durban to draw the short two-test series with the Boks. That victory, Ireland’s fourth from five outings against the Boks in the past seven years, edged them to within less than a point from South Africa in the rankings.
Hence, all it required for the Irish to overtake the Boks was for Erasmus’s team to lose one of their six Rugby Championship tests and not even their subsequent 48-7 walloping of Argentina at Mbombela this past Saturday could reinstate South Africa to top spot.
John Robbie, the Dublin-born former Ireland scrumhalf who has been living in South Africa since the early 1980s, is not alone in being bewildered by the situation.
“It’s one of my pet hates, rugby rankings,” says Robbie. “What does it matter? It is a load of nonsense.
“Ireland have been ranked number one three times in the past five years and, yet, have no World Cup trophy to show for it. The Boks on the other hand, have won the Web Ellis Cup a record four times already, of which the last two back-to-back.
“The rankings are just a sideshow as far as I’m concerned.”
Is rugby set to change forever?
South Africa will remain in second place until November when they undertake their end-of-year tour, and Erasmus has already set his sights on that.
“The end-of-year tour is now our target, to go through that undefeated,” declared Erasmus, who seems to share Robbie’s sentiments regarding the World Rugby Rankings. “Being number one will only become important at the end of 2025 when the RWC 2027 draw happens. It doesn’t matter now; it’s only bragging rights for whoever is at the top now.”
To be sure, Australia 2027 is where it’s at. And, where the World Rugby rankings will take a back seat.
Deep down, though, the fiercely competitive character that he is, Erasmus will be peeved at the Boks’ drop in the rankings. The South Africa coach is a “serial winner”.
This was again evident this year as his Bok brigade and their infamous Bomb Squad reinforced South Africa’s reputation as the most powerful force in world rugby.
Former French giant Olivier Roumat dubs them the “most physical team on the planet”, while Wallaby great Tom Lawton describes the confidence of the current crop of Boks as “scary”.
“The amazing thing is that whereas most other countries are merely trying to peak during the four-year RWC cycle, South Africa are so confident in their DNA that they just keep building and building,” Lawton explains.
“Often, when a team hits such a purple patch, they tend to become too self-centred and then the wheels come off. Rassie, though, has kept the lid on that arrogance. He has transformed that into confidence.
“Even though they have a tried and tested game plan and execute it exceptionally well, the Boks continuously experiment with and introduce subtle variations. They have given the world a peek into what rugby will look like going forward. Even the Kiwis are looking at the Saffas as the measure these days.”
The Boks have taken their power game to a new level. With smart and skilful bruisers like Eben Etzebeth and Pieter-Steph du Toit leading the charge, they have found a way to relentlessly boss the opposition. Their goal is to extend their World Cup-winning record to five victories with what will amount to a historic hat-trick in 2027.
The little matter of the Boks currently playing second fiddle to Ireland in the rankings will merely serve to harden Erasmus’s single-minded resolve towards that end.
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