The All Blacks have regained the No 1 spot in the World Rugby rankings after Wales dropped to fourth following a defeat by Ireland on Saturday.
An understrength Wales side lost 22-17 to Ireland in Cardiff on Saturday and were docked 1.51 rating points – from 89.43 to 87.92 – enough to see them drop three places to fourth.
The All Blacks benefit as a direct result of Wales’ misfortune, and are now back in the No 1 position.
Ireland gained 1.51 points and climb to second, while Fiji’s 29-19 win over Tonga earned them 0.45 of a point increase to lift them up to ninth, above Japan.
The rest of the top 10 on the elite list remain unchanged.
World Rugby rankings:
1. New Zealand 89.40
2. Ireland 88.86
3. England 88.13
4. Wales 87.92
5. South Africa 86.83
6. Australia 84.05
7. Scotland 81.00
8. France 79.72
9. Fiji 77.43
10. Japan 77.21
Full rankings
How the rankings work
Photo: David Davies/AP
