A loss to Italy will cost Boks top spot

World Rugby has published the ranking permutations for the men's internationals played across Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas this weekend.

Permutation highlights

• Three teams could all be ranked No 1 by the end of a busy weekend of Test rugby where 10 matches will be played across five continents.

• South Africa currently occupy top spot on 92.78 rating points but their 2.42-point cushion over New Zealand in second will be wiped out if they lose to Italy for only the second time in history.

• A shock defeat to the Azzurri will see the Springboks slip from top spot, a position they have held since mid-November last year.

• South Africa will be replaced by whoever emerges victorious from the first of three Tests between New Zealand and France if they slip up in Pretoria.

• However, victory may not be enough for Italy to improve on 10th place, unless it comes in tandem with a Fiji loss to Australia on Sunday.

• If Fiji do win then Italy need one of the margins to be by more than 15 points for them to climb to ninth at the expense of the Wallabies, who would drop two to 10th.

• Neither South Africa nor Ireland are able to improve their rating by beating sides significantly lower than them in the rankings.

• New Zealand will drop two places to fourth if they lose to France and Ireland beat Georgia.

• France are unable to drop from fourth place even if they lose by more than 15 points as the closest a victorious Argentina side can get to them this weekend is 2.61 points.

• England will climb above their hosts Argentina into fifth if they avoid defeat, while Fiji will take over eighth place from Australia if they are victorious in their meeting in Newcastle.

• The Wallabies are also unable to improve their position this weekend, albeit only just as a victory by more than 15 points would see them behind Scotland – who face the Maori All Blacks this weekend – by mere thousandths of a rating point with both on 82.36 points.

• Japan will climb above Wales for the first time since the rankings were introduced in October 2003 if they win the first match of the two-Test series in Kitakyushu.

• An 18th consecutive Test defeat for Wales would see them fall another two places to a new low of 14th with Japan and Samoa the beneficiaries.

• Japan will slip below Samoa if beaten by Wales, while their visitors must win by more than 15 points and hope Georgia lose to Ireland in order to climb swap places with the Lelos.

• An historic win for Georgia in Tbilisi against Ireland will not come with any positional gain.

• USA cannot improve their rating with victory over Belgium given the 10.04-point difference between the teams before home weighting is factored in.

• The Men’s Eagles will only surrender 15th place if they lose by more than 15 points, a scenario that would see Belgium climb to a new high of 21st providing Chile don’t beat Romania by the same margin.

• Chile will enter the top 20 for the first time if they beat Romania by more than 15 points.

• Hong Kong China cannot equal their own high of 21st this weekend but their sole focus will be beating Korea to qualify for Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 in Asia.

• A win for Korea on home soil will see them regain the ground lost following their defeat to the United Arab Emirates a fortnight ago.

• The UAE, who are currently at an all-time high of 43rd, will continue to raise the bar if can finish the Asia Rugby Emirates Men’s Championship 2025 on a high with victory over Sri Lanka.

Match officials

• Damián Schneider (Argentina) will take charge of Wales for the first time when they meet Japan in Kitakyushu. He has refereed the Brave Blossoms on one previous occasion, a 52-12 loss to France last November.

• Nic Berry (Australia) will become the third Australian to referee 40 Tests matches when he officiates the first Test between New Zealand and France in Dunedin. France are yet to lose with Berry in the middle, while the All Blacks have won their last five Tests with him as referee.

• Hollie Davidson (Scotland) will referee her second Test involving South Africa when they take on Italy in Pretoria. The Scottish official created history when she refereed both teams for the first time as the first female to referee both a Men's Six Nations and Rugby Championship team.

• Angus Gardner (Australia) will referee Argentina v England for the first time with Los Pumas only victory in three of 10 previous Tests with the Australian in the middle, although they were significant wins against South Africa and New Zealand (twice). England have lost their last three tests with Gardner as referee.

• Andrea Piardi (Italy) takes charge of Georgia v Ireland for the first time, having only previously been an assistant referee when the sides met in 2020. Both teams are yet to lose with the Italian as referee.

• Sam Grove-White (Scotland) will referee a Test in the USA for the first time when the Men's Eagles take on Belgium in Charlotte, North Carolina. USA have won both tests with Grove-White in the middle, most recently against Portugal last November, while Belgium have lost all three matches.

• Federico Vedovelli (Italy) takes charge of a Chile for the first time when they take on Romania in Santiago on Saturday. He has refereed Romania once before, a 31-7 loss to Georgia in the Rugby Europe Men's Championship 2023.

• Pierre Brousset (France) will referee Fiji for the first time as they take on Australia in Newcastle, having been an assistant referee for them on seven occasions. Australia have a W1, L1 record with Brousset in the middle but will not look fondly on the last outing, a record 67-27 loss to Argentina in 2024.

• Craig Chan (Hong Kong China) takes charge of the Asia Rugby Emirates Men's Championship 2025 encounter between Sri Lanka and United Arab Emirates on Friday, two teams he is yet to referee.

• Ibuki Tetsuka (Japan) will make his Test debut in the middle when he referees the Korea v Hong Kong China fixture in the same competition with the latter leading the race to claim the title and qualify for a Men's Rugby World Cup for the first time.