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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
World Rugby announce final world rankings of the season as series to decide everything
The final World Rugby rankings of the season have been announced, with Wales ending the campaign in 12th place after finally putting an end to their dismal losing streak. After a brutal run of 18 Test match defeats, which stretched all the way back to the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, Welsh fans were finally able to celebrate a victory earlier this month as Matt Sherratt's side overcame Japan in the second of two showdowns with Eddie Jones' men on tour. That win not only got a sizeable monkey off the backs of all those involved with the national side, but also ensured that Wales moved back up the global rankings, having dropped to a humiliating record low of 14th in the world following their opening tour defeat to Japan, who leapfrogged Sherratt's side alongside Samoa. READ MORE: Appalling England complaint upheld by World Rugby as investigation emerges READ MORE: Steve Tandy named new Wales head coach in major WRU announcement: Live updates The slip also meant that Wales briefly dropped into the third banding of seeds for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, the draw for which will be conducted in December this year. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. The tournament in two years' time has been expanded to include 24 teams, with all of the qualified teams to be confirmed before the draw takes place. All of the qualified teams will be seeded based on their rankings at the end of this year's decisive autumn series, and with the competition comprising six pools of four teams, the seeding bands are broken down by every six teams. That means the top six teams in the world would be top seeds for the tournament, with those between 7th and 12th in the second banding of seeds and so on. Wales being outside of the global top 12 by the end of the autumn would likely prove disastrous, therefore, as they would be set to drawn in a 'pool of death' for the 2027 tournament with two of the world's top teams. The win over Japan, however, means that they head into their autumn international campaign in 12th place, just 0.64 ranking points behind Georgia and 1.57 ahead of Samoa. Wales could have dropped to 13th place had the Samoans recorded a shock victory over Scotland last weekend, but Gregor Townsend's side eased to a 12-41 win as they bounced back from their painful defeat to Fiji. A tough run of games now awaits Wales in the autumn, with three of the world's top seven sides - Argentina, New Zealand and South Africa - all heading to Cardiff, while a third clash with Japan is also part of the schedule. While it will depend on results elsewhere, a single win in the autumn could well be enough for Wales to remain in the world's top 12 teams and head into the next Rugby World Cup in the second banding of seeds. Elsewhere in the new world rankings, New Zealand have moved within 0.72 ranking points of top spot, with their 29-19 win over France seeing them edge closer to the number one spot currently occupied by South Africa. Defeat to the All Blacks has seen the French fall away from the global top three and closer to fifth-placed England, who now trail them by just 0.18 ranking points, while Scotland remain in eighth but move closer to Argentina in seventh after beating Samoa. Spain and Chile have also had ranking point boosts but the only positional changes come further down the table, with Zimbabwe moving ahead of Canada after qualifying for their first Rugby World Cup since 1991, and the Netherlands leapfrogging Namibia. The latest World Rugby rankings (July 21) 1South Africa 92.782New Zealand 92.06 (+0.34) 3Ireland 89.834France 87.82 (-0.34) 5England 87.646Australia 82.087Argentina 82.058Scotland 81.57 (+0.20) 9Fiji 80.5010Italy 77.7711Georgia 74.6912Wales 74.0513Samoa 72.48 (-0.20) 14Japan 72.2915Spain 69.12 (+0.20) 16USA 68.4517Uruguay 67.5218Portugal 66.4419Tonga 65.4620Chile 63.83 (+0.63) 21Romania 62.6722Belgium 61.2023Hong Kong China 59.9824 (↑26) Zimbabwe 58.80 (+1.01) 25 (↓24) Canada 57.75 (-0.20) 26 (↑27) Netherlands 57.0127 (↓25) Namibia 56.86 (-1.01) 28Brazil 55.90 (-0.63) 29Switzerland 55.2630Poland 54.06
Scotsman
4 days ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Scotland injury update: Two ruled out of Samoa game but good news on Fagerson
Tom Jordan fractured a bone in his hand during Scotland's defeat by Fiji in Suva. | SNS Group / SRU Another hugely physical challenge is expected at Eden Park Sign up to our Rugby Union newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Tom Jordan and Jamie Ritchie have been ruled out of Scotland's final tour match against Samoa after being injured in the bruising defeat by Fiji. Jordan, who played the full 80 minutes, later discovered he had fractured a bone in his hand. Ritchie, meanwhile, was forced off after 22 minutes with a foot issue. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Neither will be considered for Friday's game against the Samoans which is being played in Auckland, New Zealand. Tom Jordan fractured a bone in his hand during Scotland's defeat by Fiji in Suva. | SNS Group / SRU The better news for head coach Gregor Townsend is that Matt Fagerson has been able to train. The Glasgow Warriors forward hurt his ankle against Fiji which raised concerns given he had just returned after three months out with a serious ankle injury but he will be available for selection for Friday. Played on with broken hand 'Jamie, unfortunately, he's hurt his foot,' said Pete Horne, Scotland's assistant coach. 'He's going to be ruled out, which is a shame for him. We've got good news on Matt, he trained today, and is going to be fit, which is great. 'And then another one that's unlucky is Tom Jordan. He had a little bit of pain after the game, and he's such a tough bugger, he doesn't really complain about anything, but he had a bit of swelling in his hand. He went for a scan and an x-ray today, and he's actually got a fracture in his hand. So he's going to be ruled out of this week as well.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ben Muncaster, who suffered a dead leg in the opening tour win over the Maori All Blacks, will be available to face Samoa and Scotland will continue to monitor Gregor Brown as completes his return to play protocols after suffering a concussion in the Maori game. Matt Fagerson, right, is available for the Samoa game. | SNS Group / SRU Scotland will be without Darcy Graham after he was called up by the British and Irish Lions and travelled immediately to Australia but Rory Sutherland and Ewan Ashman will be in the mix to face Samoa. Although the forward pair have also been called up by the Lions they will not link up with Andy Farrell's squad until Sunday. Hammered at the breakdown Horne said Scotland would try to 'right the wrongs' of the 29-14 defeat by Fiji in Suva when they faced Samoa at Eden Park. He expects a similar challenge to the one posed by the Fijians who were worthy winners on Saturday. 'Samoa are always traditionally very physical, that's what they're proud of,' said Horne. 'That's something that's really in their culture and their heritage, if you like. We'll expect another bruising encounter, but I think the boys will definitely be up for it. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'A lot of the things that went wrong in the weekend were around the breakdown area, so there's been a big focus on that, especially that last 15 minutes. A lot of the good work that had been done had - not fell apart - but they really hammered us there. They came in hard.
Scotsman
4 days ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Samoa v Scotland preview: rugby citadel, a debut at 10 and best wishes to Boan Venter
Eden Park in Auckland is one of rugby's great venues but doesn't hold many happy memories for Scotland. | Getty Images Pacific tour ends at a venue which has few happy memories for Scotland Sign up to our Rugby Union newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Eden Park is one of rugby's most celebrated citadels but is a stadium that holds few good memories for visiting Scotland teams. Gregor Townsend was assistant to Andy Robinson the last time the national side played there, in 2011, in a Rugby World Cup game against England of all teams. A late try by Chris Ashton condemned the Scots to a 16-12 defeat which ended their participation in the tournament. It was the first time they had been eliminated in the pool stage but not, sadly, the last. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Prior to that, Scotland had played and lost to the All Blacks on five occasions at Eden Park, including in 2000 when Townsend played at centre in a 48-14 defeat. Eden Park in Auckland is one of rugby's great venues but doesn't hold many happy memories for Scotland. | Getty Images They return to the Auckland ground on Friday to play not New Zealand but Samoa in the final match of a tour that began brightly with a win over the Māori All Blacks in Whangārei but suffered a big setback last weekend in Suva where Scotland lost 29-14 to Fiji. Auckland a home from home for Samoans Samoa may not be playing in their own country but Auckland is a home from home for them. It is estimated that around 120,000 Samoans live in the city and Townsend expects there to be boisterous support for the island country. 'We were told months ago that the stadium in Apia in Samoa wasn't ready to host Test matches again,' explained Townsend. 'And I don't know whether that was something to do with the stadium itself or the television links. And Eden Park is a great venue for Samoa too. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Obviously, the Samoans that live in Samoa will be disappointed they're not getting to see a Test match at home but there's a lot of Samoans that live in Auckland that will turn out on Friday night.' Gregor Townsend playing for Scotland against New Zealand at Eden Park in 2000. | Getty Images This is a game Scotland are expected to win and win well. Samoa are ranked 13th in the world, five places behind Townsend's side who slipped to eighth following the defeat by Fiji. It is also a fixture that is laced with hazards. Townsend is mindful of the way Samoa beat Italy last summer and they will be a determined to make a winning start under their new coach Tusi Pisi who was at stand-off the last time the sides met, at the 2019 World Cup in Japan. Scotland won 34-0 and Grant Gilchrist is the only starter from the game in Kobe who is in Townsend's XV for Eden Park. George Horne and Adam Hastings both came on in the second half and the Glasgow pair are again on the bench on Friday. Former England cap picked by Samoa Pisi has included six uncapped players in his 23 and among the new boys is Jacob Umaga, the Halifax-born Benetton fly-half who won a cap for England in 2021 but has now switched allegiance. His father, Mike, won 13 caps for Samoa in the 1990s, and Jacob is the nephew of All Blacks great Tana Umaga. Jacob Umaga of Benetton will make his Samoa debut against Scotland. | Getty Images Other notable names on the Samoa team-sheet include Akpi Seiuli, the former Glasgow Warriors loosehead, and Toulon centre Duncan Paia'aua who played for Australia in a non-cap game against the Barbarians. Samoa's captain, Theo McFarland, is a back-row buddie of Andy Onyeama-Christie at Saracens and the pair will be in direct competition on Friday. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Townsend expects it to be similar to the Fiji match in terms of the physical challenge. 'All three teams we're playing against on this tour have similar traits,' said the Scotland coach. 'Very powerful, dynamic players, very physical. They might produce something unexpected and the contact area is going to be a real battle. How penalty problems piled up for Scotland 'We don't have that much information on Samoa. They've not played a Test match since July or August last year - they missed out on the November window. 'They've got some quality players, some players that are playing around the world and players that played in the Super Rugby for Moana. What we know is they'll come out all guns blazing. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'They'll have a big crowd behind them. They will have seen what Fiji did at times that gave them success in the game last week and I'm sure they'll want to repeat that.' Scotland's lock Grant Gilchrist played against Samoa at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, the last time the sides met. | AFP via Getty Images Scotland's poor discipline against Fiji was the biggest frustration for Townsend and the coach pointed out how the spiralling penalty count conspired to make the job of defending progressively harder. 'I think it reminds the players that if you are giving the opposition penalties there's consequences and the consequences are that you're having to defend a few more phases, often in your own 22,' he said. 'And those are harder areas to defend and there's more consequences there if you don't defend well. 'But it happens in games, it's never going to be perfect and I don't want to take anything away from Fiji, because they obviously had some really good moments. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I don't think I've seen that penalty count for a while. I think it was 14 against us and three yellow cards in the end, so it's going to be hard to win a Test match with those stats and we definitely don't want to see anything like that this week.' Interest in Boan Venter is 'hypothetical' Townsend, meanwhile, has wished Edinburgh prop Boan Venter all the best for his South Africa debut. The loosehead would have become Scottish-qualified on residency grounds in time for next year's Six Nations but was called up by Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus and will start Saturday's game against Georgia in Nelspruit. Asked if he was a player he would have wanted for Scotland, Townsend said: 'It's really hypothetical. He wasn't going to be available for a few months, so with players that you know are going to qualify on residency, yes of course they're in your mind and if they're good enough at that time they could come into the squad. But it's hypothetical until it happens and it's not going to happen now. 'I think he's been one of the best players in the URC the last two or three years. I think this year was probably his best season and whether it's the set-piece or his ball-carrying, he's really impressed. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'So we wish him all the best. He's now embarking on an international career and it shows the quality of the player he is.' Samoa v Scotland teams Friday, 8.35am BST, Eden Park, Auckland. Samoa: 15. Latrell Ah Kiong; 14. Tuna Tuitama, 13. Duncan Paia'aua, 12. Henry Taefu, 11. Tomasi Alosio; 10. Jacob Umaga, 9. Melani Matavao; 1. Akpi Seiuli, 2. Pita Anae-Ah Sue, 3. Michael Ala'alatoa, 4. Benjamin Petaia Nee-Nee, 5. Samuel Slade, 6. Theo McFarland (capt), 7. Jonah Mau'u, 8. Taleni Seu. Replacements: 16. Luteru Tolai, 17. Kaynan Sitiene-Tua, 18. Marco Fepuleai, 19. Michael Curry, 20. Niko Jones, 21. Iakopo Mapu, 22. Connor Tupai, 23. Rodney Iona. Scotland: 15. Kyle Rowe; 14. Kyle Steyn, 13. Rory Hutchinson, 12. Stafford McDowall, 11. Arron Reed; 10. Fergus Burke, 9. Jamie Dobie; 1. Rory Sutherland, 2. Ewan Ashman, 3. Elliot Millar Mills, 4. Gregor Brown, 5. Grant Gilchrist, 6. Andy Onyeama-Christie , 7. Rory Darge (capt), 8. Matt Fagerson. Replacements: 16. George Turner, 17. Nathan McBeth, 18. Fin Richardson, 19. Cameron Henderson, 20. Marshall Sykes, 21. Ben Muncaster, 22. George Horne, 23. Adam Hastings.
The Herald Scotland
18-07-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Gregor Townsend hails Scotland for showing ‘true identity'
Scotland opened their tour with victory over the Maori All Blacks in New Zealand but were on the end of an ill-disciplined 29-14 defeat by Fiji in Suva last weekend. Rounding off the Skyscanner Pacific Tour with a win 🏴#AsOne — Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) July 18, 2025 That result was a major blow for Scotland's aspirations of breaking into the top seeds ahead of the World Cup draw in December, but Townsend's side reacted in the best way possible to finish the season on a high. 'It was hugely important,' Townsend said. 'You rise to a challenge and you show your true identity when you've got that challenge of backing up a defeat and the players showed that. 'The way they came together during the week with just a six-day turnaround and one training session, they were really aligned and focused on delivering a better performance and they did that.' Scotland quickly got on top through tries from Lions-bound Ewan Ashman and Rory Hutchinson in the opening 13 minutes and were always in control of the game. Arron Reed, Kyle Steyn, Grant Gilchrist, Kyle Rowe and George Turner all crossed with the Samoans grabbing two second-half tries of their own. Townsend said: 'We had to defend really well at the beginning of the game. I thought Samoa brought a lot from their attack. They were direct, they were physical and they moved the ball well to the wide channels. 'So that set us up really well for us to move the ball when we had it. I thought we were really clinical in the 22, through our forwards mainly, with the mall, but also the direct carrying. 'And then just some really good skills to score tries and give us that cushion going into half-time. 'That would be close to how well the team played against the Maori. This game was more physical. 'It's been a really enjoyable tour, so it's important we finish with a top performance.' Townsend hailed scrum-half Jamie Dobie, who was involved in the build-up to several tries, but was stopped just short of the line himself and delivered some important defensive interventions. 'Jamie was great,' he added. 'He was battling with cramp near the end, but for him to go from nine to wing and play equally as well…. 'I thought Gregor Brown was outstanding, came back from injury and then getting another injury in our first game on tour. Grant Gilchrist going 80 minutes again and Fin Richardson in his first cap, showing real energy. 'And it was really pleasing to see our scrum and our line-up maul being dominant. It's something we've spent a lot of time working on. The players have really worked hard and we have had our rewards in that area on this tour.'
STV News
18-07-2025
- Sport
- STV News
Townsend hails Scotland for showing ‘true identity' in victory over Samoa
Gregor Townsend praised his Scotland players for showing their 'true identity' after they bounced back from defeat to round off their Pacific Tour with an emphatic victory over Samoa. Seven different Scotland players scored tries as the tourists won 41-12 at Eden Park in Auckland. Scotland opened their tour with victory over the Maori All Blacks in New Zealand but were on the end of an ill-disciplined 29-14 defeat by Fiji in Suva last weekend. That result was a major blow for Scotland's aspirations of breaking into the top seeds ahead of the World Cup draw in December, but Townsend's side reacted in the best way possible to finish the season on a high. 'It was hugely important,' Townsend said. 'You rise to a challenge and you show your true identity when you've got that challenge of backing up a defeat and the players showed that. 'The way they came together during the week with just a six-day turnaround and one training session, they were really aligned and focused on delivering a better performance and they did that.' Scotland quickly got on top through tries from Lions-bound Ewan Ashman and Rory Hutchinson in the opening 13 minutes and were always in control of the game. Arron Reed, Kyle Steyn, Grant Gilchrist, Kyle Rowe and George Turner all crossed with the Samoans grabbing two second-half tries of their own. Townsend said: 'We had to defend really well at the beginning of the game. I thought Samoa brought a lot from their attack. They were direct, they were physical and they moved the ball well to the wide channels. 'So that set us up really well for us to move the ball when we had it. I thought we were really clinical in the 22, through our forwards mainly, with the mall, but also the direct carrying. 'And then just some really good skills to score tries and give us that cushion going into half-time. 'That would be close to how well the team played against the Maori. This game was more physical. 'It's been a really enjoyable tour, so it's important we finish with a top performance.' Townsend hailed scrum-half Jamie Dobie, who was involved in the build-up to several tries, but was stopped just short of the line himself and delivered some important defensive interventions. 'Jamie was great,' he added. 'He was battling with cramp near the end, but for him to go from nine to wing and play equally as well…. 'I thought Gregor Brown was outstanding, came back from injury and then getting another injury in our first game on tour. Grant Gilchrist going 80 minutes again and Fin Richardson in his first cap, showing real energy. 'And it was really pleasing to see our scrum and our line-up maul being dominant. It's something we've spent a lot of time working on. The players have really worked hard and we have had our rewards in that area on this tour.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
