The Springboks extended their lead at the top of the world rugby league table as the All Blacks slipped and Ireland surged in the weekend’s Autumn Nations Series action.

New Zealand ousted Ireland from top spot in the world rankings after a 23-13 victory at the Aviva Stadium two weeks ago as Andy Farrell’s side dropped from first to third.

However, the All BlacksThe second-placed spell lasted just over a week as Scott Robertson’s side went down 30-29 to France in Paris.

That result, along with others during the weekend’s international action, saw eight teams change positions in the top 20.

South Africa remains at the top

Cheslin Kolbe crossed for two tries in SpringboksA 29-20 win over England at Allianz Stadium saw South Africa extend their lead at the top of the world rankings.

The Boks now hold a 2.0-point lead – after starting the weekend with a 1.25 lead – over second-placed Ireland, who edged out New Zealand after their narrow 22-19 win over Argentina on Friday night.

France claimed their third consecutive win against the All Blacks on Saturday, but the result was not enough to see them move into the top three in the rankings, but saw them close the gap on New Zealand to just under two ranking points. Les Bleus remain in fourth place for at least another week, while the rest of the top 10 remains unchanged.

Argentina dropped 0.20 points from their three-point loss to Ireland to stay in fifth place, with Scotland picking up no points for their comprehensive victory over Portugal.

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Australia, meanwhile, are just 0.14 points behind seventh-placed England after Wales thrashed Steve Borthwick’s side 52-20 and the Boks.

Fiji retain ninth place despite Italy’s win over Georgia, with the latter two nations retaining 1st and 11th place respectively.

However, there was further movement in the top 20, with Japan moving ahead of Samoa into 13th after Eddie Jones’ side beat Uruguay 36-20 at France’s Chambery Savoie Stadium.

The USA’s first win over Tonga since 1999 saw the Americans swap places with Portugal as the Eagles finished 15th. As for Tonga, they fell one place below Uruguay to 19th, with Romania rounding out the top 20 .

Outside the top 20, the Netherlands and Kenya were the biggest climbers, with the Dutch moving from 27th to 24th after their shock win over Chile, while the Kenyans beat Uganda 21-5 to also climb three places 36 in 33rd place.

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The latest World Rugby rankings from 18.11.2024

1 South Africa 92.78
2 Ireland 90.78
3 New Zealand 90.09
4 France 88.08
5 Argentina 85.40
6 Scotland 82.70
7 England 82.31
8 Australia 82.17
9 Fiji 80.07
10 Italy 78.92
11 Wales 74.01
12 Georgia 73.85
13 Japan 72.95
14 Samoa 72.68
15 US 68.90
16 Portugal 68.82
17 Spain 67.10
18 Uruguay 65.94
19 Tonga 65.46
20 Romania 63.87

READ MORE: David Campese’s Autumn Nations Series Team of the Week: ‘Outstanding’ Wallabies rewarded but Springboks face battle for representation as recognized ‘world class’ star