Boks eye No 2 ranking

All the World Rugby rankings permutations for this weekend's Test matches.

The Springboks will claim second spot if they defeat Ireland by more than 15 points at Newlands and the Wallabies lose to England in Brisbane.

Ireland have an opportunity to make up lost ground with victory over the Boks earning them up to three points and a potential one-place rise to sixth at the expense of Argentina.

The Pumas do not stand to gain any rating points from their match against Italy given the nine-place difference between the sides. It is possible for Italy, though, to climb two places to 12th.

The All Blacks are untouchable at the top – a position they have occupied since November 2009 – although their 6.77 rating-point cushion over Australia could be cut to less than five if a shock defeat to Wales is combined with a win for the Wallabies over England.

It is possible for England to take second place behind New Zealand if they win by over 15 points and South Africa fail to beat Ireland. On the flip side, defeat for England and victory for Wales would see the Six Nations champions drop below their rivals.

World Rugby rankings (Top 20):

1. New Zealand 96.10
2. Australia 89.33
3. South Africa 87.66
4. England 84.60
5. Argentina 82.59
6. Wales 82.48
7. Ireland 80.33
8. France 78.36
9. Scotland 78.32
10. Japan 77.05
11. Fiji 76.96
12. Georgia 72.62
13. Tonga 71.60
14. Italy 70.78
15. Samoa 70.36
16. Romania 67.52
17. USA 65.68
18. Canada 64.27
19. Russia 63.56
20. Uruguay 63.23

Photo: Patrick Bolger/Getty Images

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