World Rugby rankings: England the big LOSERS after Six Nations hiding

Gregor Townsend celebrated his 100th Test in charge of Scotland in emphatic fashion, guiding his side to victory over England.

Feb 16, 2026 - 17:00
182110
World Rugby rankings: England the big LOSERS after Six Nations hiding

Gregor Townsend celebrated his 100th Test in charge of Scotland in emphatic fashion this past weekend, guiding his side to a 31-20 victory over England.

The milestone occasion was marked by a composed and clinical Scottish performance, once again highlighting their ability to trouble England on home soil.

DIARISE | Varsity Cup 2026 kicks off TODAY with these 4 fixtures

Significant implications

The result also had significant implications for the latest World Rugby rankings.

England’s defeat saw them slip to fourth in the standings, while the France climbed to third.

This despite the fact that France didn’t gain any ranking points after their comprehensive 54-12 win over Wales.

Scotland’s victory lifts them to ninth in the world rankings, moving above Italy, who dropped to 10th after surrendering a half-time lead to lose 20-13 against Ireland.

For Townsend, the landmark Test not only delivered a memorable personal achievement, but also reinforced Scotland’s growing consistency and competitiveness at the highest level.

Meanwhile, there was no change in the top two spots with South Africa (93.94) still leading the way from New Zealand (90.33) by 3.61 points.

UPDATED WORLD RUGBY RANKINGS

RankCountryPoints
1South Africa93.94
2New Zealand90.33
3France88.40
4England87.71
5Ireland86.81
6Argentina84.97
7Australia81.53
8Fiji81.14
9Scotland81.10
10Italy79.81
11Wales74.23
12Japan74.09
13Georgia73.18
14Uruguay69.19
15Spain69.01
16USA68.26
17Chile66.72
18Tonga66.66
19Samoa66.43
20Portugal64.98

This article has been sourced from various publicly available news platforms around the world. All intellectual property rights remain with the original publishers and authors. Unshared News does not claim ownership of the content and provides it solely for informational and educational purposes voluntarily. If you are the rightful owner and believe this content has been used improperly, please contact us for prompt removal or correction.