Dec 19, 7:45 PM UTC

Leinster vs Ulster

Dec 19, 7:45 PM UTC

Cardiff vs Scarlets

Dec 19, 7:45 PM UTC

Leicester Tigers vs Gloucester Rugby

Dec 20, 5:30 AM UTC

Spears vs BlackRams

Dec 20, 5:30 AM UTC

Sungoliath vs Verblitz

Dec 20, 1:30 PM UTC

Stade Francais vs Racing 92

Dec 20, 1:30 PM UTC

DHL Stormers vs Lions

Dec 20, 2:00 PM UTC

Benetton vs Zebre Parma

Dec 20, 3:00 PM UTC

Glasgow Warriors vs Edinburgh

Dec 20, 3:00 PM UTC

Northampton Saints vs Sale Sharks

Dec 20, 3:00 PM UTC

Saracens F.C. vs Exeter Chiefs

Dec 20, 3:35 PM UTC

Perpignan vs Clermont

Dec 20, 3:35 PM UTC

Montpellier vs Castres

Dec 20, 3:35 PM UTC

Montauban vs Pau

Dec 20, 3:35 PM UTC

La Rochelle vs Bayonne

Premiership Rugby

FloRugby's Professional Club Power Rankings: Dec. 17, 2025

FloRugby's Professional Club Power Rankings: Dec. 17, 2025

Here's FloRugby's Professional Club Power Rankings for Dec. 17, after Saitama stuns Brave Lupus and Glasgow shocks Toulouse, while the Stormers stay No. 1.

Dec 17, 2025 by Philip Bendon
FloRugby's Professional Club Power Rankings: Dec. 17, 2025

The opening weekend in Japan Rugby League One and a thunderous Round 2 of the Investec Champions Cup have combined to send ripples through this week’s Global Rugby Power Rankings. 

Heavyweights were humbled, title contenders flexed their muscles and a handful of sides delivered results that demand immediate recalibration of where they sit in the global pecking order.

The headline moment came in Tokyo. 

Few saw it coming, but the Saitama Wild Knights dismantling defending champion Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo 46-0 was a reminder that pedigree still matters when it finally clicks. 

Takuya Yamasawa, long blighted by injury, looked every inch the fly-half Robbie Deans once raved about. Eight from eight off the tee and complete command of the contest turned what should have been a tight opener into a rout. 

For Brave Lupus, it was a brutal reality check. For Saitama, it was a warning shot to the rest of League One.

Elsewhere in Japan, the Green Rockets Tokatsu and Shimizu Koto Blue Sharks opened their campaigns with controlled, professional wins, while Kyuden Voltex edged a thriller against Hino Red Dolphins. 

Early season volatility always carries a degree of caution in the rankings, but statement margins still matter. Saitama’s jump reflects dominance, not reputation.

In Europe, the Investec Champions Cup provided chaos and clarity in equal measure. 

The Glasgow Warriors delivered one of the performances of the season so far, overturning a 21-0 half time deficit to stun Stade Toulousain at Scotstoun. 

That second half was not just emotional, it was structurally sound. 

Toulouse was shut out, bullied at the gain line and starved of rhythm. Glasgow’s rise into the top tier of contenders now is impossible to ignore.

Union Bordeaux Bègles continues to look ruthless. 

Fifty points against Scarlets followed a clinical Round 1 showing and underlined why the reigning champions remain among the most complete sides in Europe. 

Matthieu Jalibert is orchestrating, the pack is controlling tempo and the back three are punishing any defensive lapse. UBB is climbing steadily, without noise, which often is the most dangerous sign.

The Northampton Saints and Bristol Bears were even louder. 

The Saints ran in 52 against the Vodacom Bulls, with George Hendy announcing himself on the European stage, while Bristol obliterated Section Paloise 61-12 in a display that blended power with tempo. Both sides now sit firmly inside the elite bracket. 

These were not narrow wins built on moments, they were systematic dismantlings.

There was drama in Durban, South Africa, where Hollywoodbets Sharks edged Saracens, and in Toulon, where the hosts outmuscled Bath in a relentless contest at Stade Mayol. 

Munster steadied itself with a dominant second half against Gloucester, while the Sale Sharks finally converted pressure into points away at ASM Clermont Auvergne. For Clermont, two defeats have left the team sliding rapidly.

At the other end, familiar names continue to struggle for consistency. 

Saracens, Leicester and La Rochelle still are searching for rhythm. Harlequins’ 68-point demolition of Bayonne was eye catching, but questions remain around week-to-week reliability. Edinburgh’s collapse in Castres highlighted a growing gap between promise and execution.

How the rankings work is simple in principle. 

Every team sits on a single global scale. Results are weighted by opposition strength, venue and margin, with recent performances carrying more influence than historic reputation. Consistency is rewarded, blowouts matter and away wins are gold. It is designed to reflect who would beat whom right now, not who lifted silverware last season.

That lens explains why the Stormers remain on top. Two from two in the Champions Cup, physical dominance and control under pressure keep them at No. 1. It also explains the upward pressure from the Saints, Bristol and Glasgow, and the downward drift of sides failing to back up big names with big performances.

The season is still young, but the trends are emerging. 

Japan already has delivered its first shock. Europe is clarifying its contenders. The rankings will move again next week, but right now, this is where the global game stands:

Full Global Power Rankings

  1. DHL Stormers, Games 8, Points 1,671
  2. Northampton Saints, Games 8, Points 1,608
  3. Bristol Bears, Games 8, Points 1,591
  4. Glasgow Warriors, Games 8, Points 1,578
  5. Toulouse, Games 13, Points 1,565
  6. Munster, Games 8, Points 1,569
  7. Bath, Games 8, Points 1,563
  8. Cardiff Rugby, Games 8, Points 1,577
  9. Stade Francais, Games 13, Points 1,562
  10. Exeter Chiefs, Games 8, Points 1,557
  11. Bordeaux Bègles, Games 13, Points 1,552
  12. RC Toulon, Games 13, Points 1,548
  13. Leinster Rugby, Games 8, Points 1,548
  14. Ulster, Games 7, Points 1,537
  15. Montpellier, Games 13, Points 1,535
  16. Kubota Spears, Games 1, Points 1,535
  17. Saitama Wild Knights, Games 1, Points 1,535
  18. Shizuoka BlueRevs, Games 1, Points 1,535
  19. Tokyo Sungoliath, Games 1, Points 1,535
  20. Pau, Games 13, Points 1,532
  21. Toyota Verblitz, Games 1, Points 1,519
  22. Urayasu D Rocks, Games 1, Points 1,519
  23. Racing 92, Games 13, Points 1,511
  24. Castres Olympique, Games 13, Points 1,514
  25. La Rochelle, Games 13, Points 1,506
  26. Edinburgh Rugby, Games 7, Points 1,508
  27. Sale Sharks, Games 8, Points 1,492
  28. Benetton, Games 8, Points 1,494
  29. Leicester Tigers, Games 8, Points 1,489
  30. Saracens, Games 8, Points 1,486
  31. Bayonne, Games 13, Points 1,485
  32. Emirates Lions, Games 8, Points 1,482
  33. MIE Honda Heat, Games 1, Points 1,481
  34. Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars, Games 1, Points 1,481
  35. Cheetahs, Games 2, Points 1,475
  36. Connacht, Games 7, Points 1,473
  37. Harlequins, Games 8, Points 1,472
  38. Ospreys, Games 8, Points 1,472
  39. Hollywoodbets Sharks, Games 8, Points 1,466
  40. BlackRams Tokyo, Games 1, Points 1,465
  41. Kobelco Kobe Steelers, Games 1, Points 1,465
  42. Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo, Games 1, Points 1,465
  43. Yokohama Canon Eagles, Games 1, Points 1,465
  44. Vodacom Bulls, Games 8, Points 1,462
  45. Gloucester Rugby, Games 8, Points 1,459
  46. Black Lion, Games 2, Points 1,458
  47. ASM Clermont Auvergne, Games 13, Points 1,453
  48. Newcastle Falcons, Games 8, Points 1,441
  49. Zebre, Games 8, Points 1,435
  50. Scarlets, Games 7, Points 1,421
  51. Lyon, Games 13, Points 1,420
  52. Dragons, Games 8, Points 1,399
  53. Montauban, Games 13, Points 1,354
  54. Perpignan, Games 13, Points 1,337

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Investec Champions Cup Round 2 

Friday, Dec. 12

  • 3 p.m. ET: Leicester Tigers vs. Leinster Rugby, Mattioli Woods Welford Road

Saturday, Dec. 13

  • 8 a.m. ET: DHL Stormers vs. La Rochelle, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
  • 10:15 a.m. ET: Hollywoodbets Sharks vs. Saracens, Hollywoodbets Kings Park
  • 10:15 a.m. ET: Clermont Auvergne vs. Sale Sharks, Stade Marcel-Michelin
  • 12:30 p.m. ET: Bordeaux-Bègles vs. Scarlets, Stade Chaban-Delmas
  • 12:30 p.m. ET: Munster Rugby vs. Gloucester Rugby, SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh
  • 3 p.m. ET: Glasgow Warriors vs. Toulouse, Scotstoun Stadium

Sunday, Dec. 14

  • 8 a.m. ET: Harlequins vs. Bayonne, Twickenham Stoop
  • 8 a.m. ET: Castres Olympique vs. Edinburgh Rugby, Stade Pierre-Fabre
  • 10:15 a.m. ET: Toulon vs. Bath Rugby, Stade Félix Mayol
  • 10:15 a.m. ET: Northampton Saints vs. Vodacom Bulls, cinch Stadium @ Franklin’s Gardens
  • 12:30 p.m. ET: Bristol Bears vs. Pau, Ashton Gate

Investec Champions Cup Round 1 Scores

Friday Scores

  • DHL Stormers 23, Bayonne 17 | FINAL
  • Sale Sharks 21, Glasgow Warriors 26 | FINAL

Saturday Scores 

  • Saracens 47, Clermont 10 | FINAL
  • Bordeaux 46, Vodacom Bulls 33 | FINAL
  • La Rochelle 39, Leicester Tigers 20 | FINAL
  • Leinster Rugby 45, Harlequins 28 | FINAL
  • Bristol Bears 17, Scarlets 16 | FINAL
  • Bath Rugby 40, Munster Rugby 14 | FINAL

Sunday Scores

  • Northampton Saints 35, Pau 27 | FINAL
  • Toulouse 56, Hollywoodbets Sharks 19 | FINAL
  • Gloucester Rugby 34, Castres 14 | FINAL
  • Edinburgh Rugby 33, Toulon | Final

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