England, Ireland and Wales are among the throng pushing to challenge New Zealand as the World Cup enters crunch time
Normal service has been resumed. After the surreal scenes of the All Blacks not being No 1 (Wales were, then Ireland!) they enter the quarter‑finals back at the top of the rankings, rated by the bookies as twice as likely to win the tournament as the second favourites. Don’t be so sure. It goes without saying they remain the best when on form, but that cancelled game might well be more of a hindrance to them than anyone, given that their last meaningful fixture will have been four weeks before their quarter‑final against Ireland. At least Italy would have been semi-meaningful. These All Blacks are not invincible at the best of times. Current world ranking: 1
Written by Michael Aylwin
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2019/oct/16/rugby-union-power-rankings-all-blacks-england-ireland-wales-japan-australia-france-south-africa under the title “Rugby World Cup power rankings: breaking down all 20 teams in Japan”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
