Our round-up of the top international teams in world rugby right now.
The rankings for the best rugby teams in the world are always changing depending on results.
The longest time a team has remained top of the official rankings was New Zealand for nine years, nine months and three days between 2009 and 2019.
Since the world rankings were first published in 2003, six teams have been ranked first in the world: New Zealand, South Africa, England, Ireland, Wales and France.
But the world rankings do not always reflect fans’ opinions, who debate which team is best.
RadioTimes.com brings you our top five international rugby union teams in the world right now, based on recent form, style, trajectory and achievements.
5. France
France had been a lethal force to come up against with Antoine Dupont at the heart of their threat. The team narrowly lost to South Africa in the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final and it seems they are having a slight hangover from the defeat. Dupont is temporarily no longer their talisman as he has turned to sevens in a bid for an Olympic medal.
However, France still have star quality but the connection between the team seems to have lost its spark, the lacklustre performances being optimised by their 13-13 draw against Italy in the 2024 Six Nations. Despite not being back to their best post-RWC, the team are still producing moments of brilliance. One to stand out in the Six Nations was winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey’s try against Scotland which saw the young winger kicked the ball through and caught it himself to go over.
4. Scotland
Scotland found themselves in the pool of death at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, coming up against Ireland and South Africa. The difficult task of getting out of the pool was too much for the team but they have continued to progress. The 2024 Six Nations have not been the best performances from Scotland but they are a team who can get over the line in matches.
As well as getting results, they have players in their ranks that pull out magical moments. Two who are at the top of Scotland’s star list are Duhan van der Merwe and Finn Russell. Van der Merwe is lightning on the wing, particularly when he plays England, and Russell is co-captain fantastic as his skill brings the entire Scottish operation together.
3. New Zealand
New Zealand are one of the best teams to ever play rugby and they are still at the top of their game. The team were slightly written off before the 2023 Rugby World Cup after a dip in form but they came good, knocking out Ireland and Argentina to reach the final.
The team may have fallen short to South Africa but they remain one of the most exciting teams to watch. One of their players, who is already a star and one to watch, is versatile back Will Jordan. The player is currently nursing an injury but equalled the most number of tries scored at a singular RWC in 2023 as he went over the white wash eight times, the other two players to do so was Jonah Lomu and Bryan Habana. New Zealand are now in a new era with head coach Scott Robertson taking over but it is almost a dead cert they will remain amongst the best teams.
2. South Africa
South Africa became the second team ever to win back-to-back Rugby World Cups in 2023 with a win over New Zealand in the final. The team not only toppled the All Blacks but they did so by just a point – the Springboks won the quarter-final, semi-final and final by a singular point.
They have stars throughout their team including one of the sport’s biggest names in their captain Siya Kolisi. Kolisi, who plays for Racing 92, is at the heart of the team and has been applauded for his leadership qualities. The Springboks will be a force to be reckoned with for a long time to come with their first fixtures of 2024 coming in summer friendlies. The team will play Wales, Ireland and Portugal.
1. Ireland
Ireland may not have been able to reach the Rugby World Cup semi-finals in 2023 but the disappointment of falling short has not impacted their form. The 2024 Six Nations saw one of their best performances under Andy Farrell to date. Ireland’s opening match was against France, who themselves had RWC heartbreak with a loss in the quarters.
Farrell’s team travelled to Marseille and it was a game many thought would be closely fought. However, Ireland completely dominated France to come away with a record win. It would take another top team on their best day to topple Ireland at the moment and it could remain that way as Farrell has signed a new deal to remain Ireland boss. The former rugby league and union player will be Ireland’s head coach until the end of the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
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