Rankings carrot for Dragons
Wales will move from eighth to fourth in the IRB world rankings if they beat the All Blacks convincingly in Cardiff on Saturday.
Click here for the latest rankings
The Welsh, though, have not beaten New Zealand since 1953, the All Blacks having won 20 Tests in a row, the most recent a 29-9 success at the Millennium Stadium last year.
The closest Wales have come to victory in this time are two one-point losses in 2004 and 1978, but if they can break this losing streak they will climb a minimum of two places to sixth in the rankings. However, they could climb as high as fourth, providing that they were to beat New Zealand by more than 15 points and England condemn Australia to a seventh defeat of 2009 by a similar margin at Twickenham.
In this instance, New Zealand would see their ranking fall by over two points – leaving them four behind the No 1-ranked Boks – and Australia drop two places to equal their lowest ever position of fifth.
Australia’s slide would see Ireland rise to third for the first time in three years and Wales to fourth. It would also leave the Wallabies sitting less than three tenths above England in sixth.
England will climb one place in victory, regardless of the winning margin, with a positive result for Wales also resulting in two place falls for France and Argentina to seventh and eighth respectively.
Wales could actually climb a place to seventh in the rankings even in defeat, with a third Australian victory in four visits to Twickenham leading to a one place fall for England to eighth.
New Zealand can close to within a point of the Springboks with another emphatic victory – six of their last seven in Cardiff have all been by a minimum of 20 points – and even a similar win by Australia will still leave them trailing the All Blacks by more than four points.
Source: irb.com
November 6th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
#148 Big Hit:
panders to the masses huh.
Now cmon, BH, people would just see right throught that !
wouldnt they ?
November 6th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
#150 WakaNathan:
if you’re in the uk, its too early to be on the pots.
if you’re in nz, time to get some sleep.
oh, and let me introduce you to grantsbatty, he usurped you in your absence
November 6th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
#152 charo: Enjoy the game Charo and you’ve made some great posts today!
November 6th, 2009 at 6:37 pm
#153 bokfan1:
hoping to meet up with jockbok for the game at a sports bar here in accra.
he is across from lome for a few days. brought his bulls colleague with him – sharks, stormers and bulls all having a beer together – must be a first
November 6th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
#152 charo:
If youre in SA, please stay there. All the others are in Wimbledon.
I have been usurped by noone.
November 6th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
#154 charo: Hahaha definitely a first bro!
Where is Accra? As in Ghana?!
November 6th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
#155 WakaNathan:
not in sa mate – place called ghana.
travel to uk fairly regularly to see family.
hoping to get to nz for the next rwc.
either place, we can meet up for a frostie or two
November 6th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
#157 charo:
if i say i’ll pay, will you come?
November 7th, 2009 at 10:23 am
Alright, sooner or later Wales will beat the ABs, as nothing lasts forever but I do not think they will ever beat them by 15+.
Only selected few in the whole century have done that and I can recall only one single occasion which happened 81 year ago in South Africa.
So no hope in hell, Wales will get 15+, more likely they’ll again get -15 or more.
November 7th, 2009 at 10:27 am
Sorry, Aussies have put another one, too, in 1999.