Australia, South Africa and Rugby Championship
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South Africa were stunned by the Wallabies in their opening Rugby Championship match on Saturday and it's had a big impact on the World Rugby rankings table
Latest men’s World Rugby rankings (unchanged unless stated): 1 New Zealand 92.51pts (up 1 place), 2 Ireland 89.83 (up 1), 3 South Africa 89.78 (down 2), 4 France 87.82, 5 England 87.64, 6 Australia 85.08, 7 Argentina 81.60, 8 Scotland 81.57, 9 Fiji 80.50, 10 Italy 77.77.
Australia prop James Slipper and winger Dylan Pietsch have been ruled out of the second Rugby Championship test against South Africa in a double blow to the Wallabies’ hopes.
"To read that overall they achieved 68% in the lineout, missed 26 tackles for an 80% return and lost the post-contact metre battle by some 70 odd metres, with 325m playing 395m from the Wallabies, will ring alarm bells in Rassie Erasmus’s coaching team.
The Wallabies have produced one of the greatest comebacks of all time to stun South Africa in the first round of the Rugby Championship.
Joe Schmidt secured one of the greatest wins of his famous coaching career when the Wallabies stunned South Africa in Ellis Park today.
After 18 minutes of an unforgettable opening instalment to this year’s Rugby Championship, those wishing to stick the knife into Australian rugby – while also denigrating the Lions’ recent achievement – will have been feeling pretty smug;
South Africa captain Siya Kolisi might be fast approaching 100 caps for his country, but when they take on Australia on Saturday, he will be scrumming down at No. 8 for the first time in a Springbok jersey.