Ireland’s emphatic 36-10 win over Australia in Belfast on Saturday has led to a shake up in the World Rugby Women’s Rankings, with Scott Bemand’s fast-improving side not the only one to benefit from their record-breaking exploits at Kingspan Stadium.
With 1.72 points awarded to Ireland and an identical amount taken away from Australia, the Irish have climbed two places to seventh, while the Wallaroos have dropped one place to sixth as their updated rating of 76.28 points will put them exactly half a point behind Scotland.
Having preserved their own rating of 76.78 points with a 59-15 win in their first-ever meeting with Fiji, Scotland have filled the gap in fifth, achieving their highest position since the rankings were introduced in February 2016.
Continual improvement is the theme for a Scottish side outside of the top 10 as recently as April 2023.
“My challenge now, along with the other coaches, is seeing how far we can push ourselves rather than sitting still and thinking where we have got to is fine," backs coach Matt Banahan said in a recent interview with Scottish Rugby News.
“We want to be the best that we can be. We want to show that we are not just the Scotland of old, but that we are ready to try and compete with the best.”
Ireland easily beat their previous best score of 24 points against Australia, and was also their biggest win, with their only previous victory in the fixture being by a 19-17 scoreline in August 2017.
The win leaves Ireland still some way short of their best-ever position fourth but seventh place is the highest they’ve been since August 2022.
Ireland have overtaken USA and Italy as a result of their two-place gain, with the Women's Eagles down to eighth and the Azzurre directly below them in ninth, despite earning 0.09 points for a 24-8 victory over Japan in Piacenza at the weekend.
Meanwhile, England’s 7.58-point advantage over New Zealand at the top of the rankings remains intact following their 24-12 victory over the Black Ferns at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham.
Photo: SRU
