The autumn internationals begin on Saturday, with teams chasing crucial ranking points ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup draw on 3 December. The tournament in Australia will feature six pools of four, and world rankings will determine the seedings.
Battle for top-six seeding
The top six teams — South Africa, New Zealand, Ireland, France, England, and Argentina — are currently in band one and will avoid each other in the group stage. Australia (seventh) and Scotland (eighth) will look for strong autumn runs to break into the top six, while Wales (12th) will aim to stay in the second tier and avoid a tougher draw.
With the World Cup two years away, these matches also give coaches a chance to test young talent and fine-tune tactics before the qualification picture is set.
Current world rankings
World Rugby uses a points-exchange system based on results, margin, and home advantage. The current top 10:
-
South Africa (92.20)
-
New Zealand (90.02)
-
Ireland (89.83)
-
France (87.82)
-
England (87.64)
-
Argentina (83.82)
-
Australia (83.30)
-
Scotland (81.57)
-
Fiji (81.16)
-
Italy (77.77)
European teams eye crucial gains
Ireland face a tough start against New Zealand in Chicago, followed by games against Japan, Australia, and South Africa. England, on a seven-match winning streak, begin their campaign against Australia before taking on Fiji, New Zealand, and Argentina.
Scotland meet the USA, New Zealand, Argentina, and Tonga — a schedule that could see them climb into the top six if they perform well. Wales, under new coach Steve Tandy, play Argentina, Japan, Italy, and South Africa as they aim to halt a slide down the rankings.
Southern Hemisphere storylines
New Zealand coach Scott Robertson is under pressure after defeats to South Africa and Argentina. The All Blacks face all four home nations this autumn. World champions South Africa meet France and Ireland, while also testing depth against Japan, Italy, and Wales. Australia, under Joe Schmidt, look for consistency after wins over South Africa and Argentina, with key games against England, Ireland, and France ahead.
Discussion about this post