World Rugby rankings update is good news for Scotland on the back of impressive win

Francesca McGhie scored a hat-trick as Bryan Easson’s side defeated the Welsh 38-8 in Salford in their opening match of the tournament and look well placed to qualify for the knockout stage.

They play Fiji in Salford this Saturday then conclude their Pool B schedule against Canada in Exeter a week later. The top two from each of the four pools at the World Cup qualify for the quarter-finals.

Scotland went into the tournament ranked eighth in the world but have jumped to sixth in the latest rankings issued on Monday, moving above Australia and Italy. The highest they have ever been is fifth.

Wales dropped from ninth to tenth as a result of the defeat at the weekend. England, the World Cup hosts and odds-on favourites, remain top of the rankings, with Canada second, holders New Zealand third, France fourth and Ireland fifth.

Scotland pushing for the top six

In the new men’s rankings, New Zealand have retained top spot despite suffering a surprise 29-23 defeat against Argentina in Buenos Aires in the Rugby Championship. South Africa have leapfrogged Ireland into second place following their win over Australia in Cape Town in the same tournament.

Argentina’s impressive win - their first ever home win over the All Blacks - means they remain seventh, one place above Scotland. A win for New Zealand would have seen the Scots climb above the Pumas.

Both Argentina and New Zealand will play Scotland at Murrayfield in November as part of the autumn Test series.

Gregor Townsend’s side are pushing to get into the top six by the end of the autumn programme so they can be among the top seeds when the draw for the 2027 Rugby World Cup is made in December. A win over Argentina in Edinburgh on November 16 is imperative in realising those ambitions.

The rest of the men’s rankings remain unchanged, with France fourth, England fifth and Australia sixth. Wales are back in 12th place, below Fiji, Italy and Georgia.