World Rankings: Wales Faces Historic Low If Unable To Overcome Italy
World Rankings: Wales Faces Historic Low If Unable To Overcome Italy
Wales risks its lowest rugby ranking, if it loses to Italy. A defeat could see Warren Gatland's side fall below Georgia for the first time in history.
Wales could drop to the lowest position is has ever seen in the World Rugby Rankings if the team fails to secure a victory against Italy in Rome this Saturday, while Georgia is expected to capitalize on its continued success against the Netherlands in Tbilisi.
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Currently ranked 11th with a rating of 74.01, Wales sits marginally ahead of Georgia, which holds 73.85 points.
However, a loss to Italy would see Warren Gatland’s side fall below the Lelos for the first time in history.
With 0.26 or 0.39 ranking points to be deducted, depending on the margin of defeat, Wales’ new total would be lower than Georgia’s, placing the Welsh in 12th, while Georgia would match its all-time best of 11th.
A heavy defeat of more than 15 points could push Wales dangerously close to Japan in 13th, leaving them only two-thirds of a point ahead and at risk of slipping out of the second band of seeds for the 2027 Rugby World Cup draw.
Despite any recent struggles, Wales can take some solace in the fact that Italy has never won a second-round fixture in the 25-year history of the Six Nations. However, Italy’s ranking position will remain unchanged, even with a victory, as it cannot accumulate enough points to surpass ninth-place Fiji. Italy would only surrender their 10th-place standing if it suffers a defeat of more than 15 points to Wales.
Elsewhere in the Six Nations, England and France both will be looking to improve their rankings in Saturday’s highly anticipated ‘Le Crunch.’
If France defeats England, and Ireland loses to Scotland on Sunday, Les Bleus will climb to third in the rankings and become the highest-ranked European team, provided one of the victories is by at least 16 points.
England, currently seventh, can overtake Scotland with a win in Paris and Gregor Townsend’s side losing at Murrayfield.
A dominant England win of more than 15 points, combined with a draw in Edinburgh, also would see England leapfrog its northern rival.
Scotland, aiming to end a 10-match losing streak against Ireland, will rise above Argentina to equal its all-time highest ranking of fifth with a victory.
Meanwhile, Ireland, the reigning Six Nations champion, risks dropping below New Zealand to third without a win. A loss by a significant margin could see the Irish slide as low as fourth.
However, a comprehensive Irish win over Scotland - by more than 15 points - would see them cut South Africa’s lead at the top of the rankings to just 1.13 points, keeping the battle for world rugby supremacy fiercely contested.
World Rugby Rankings – Top 20:
1. South Africa - 92.78
2. Ireland - 90.78
3. New Zealand - 90.36
4. France - 88.51
5. Argentina - 84.97
6. Scotland - 83.57
7. England - 82.31
8. Australia - 81.52
9. Fiji - 80.07
10. Italy - 78.41
11. Wales - 74.01
12. Georgia - 73.85
13. Japan - 72.95
14. Samoa - 72.68
15. USA - 70.02
16. Portugal - 68.82
17. Uruguay - 67.06
18. Spain - 65.98
19. Tonga - 65.46
20. Romania - 63.01
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