Win over Tonga moves Fiji up to 9th, All Blacks back on top

Wales’ short reign at the top of the World Rugby Men’s Rankings is over after their 11-match winning home run came to an end with Saturday’s 22-17 defeat to Ireland at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

With one-and-a-half rating points deducted from their total because of the loss, Wales now find themselves down in fourth position in the rankings with New Zealand, Ireland and England the sides to profit.

The All Blacks regain their position at the top of the rankings that they had held for an unbroken 509-week period prior to Wales’ 13-6 victory over England back on 14 August, while Ireland, for whom Jacob Stockdale shone with a brace of first-half tries, move up to second with the gap between the two teams just a fraction over half a point.

England will go into their final Rugby World Cup 2019 warm-up against Italy at St James’ Park in Newcastle on Friday ranked third.

Scotland negotiated what appeared to be a difficult assignment away to Georgia, winning 44-10 at the Dinamo Arena in Tbilisi.

The victory improved Scotland’s rating to 81.00 points and they remain in seventh.

In the Pasifika Challenge at Eden Park in Auckland, Fiji beat Tonga 29-19. The win moves them above Japan and into ninth place in the rankings. Tonga stay in 15th place.