England Drop to Fourth in World Rugby Rankings After Scotland Loss | Six Nations 2024
Scotland’s 31-20 victory over England at Murrayfield on Saturday has triggered a shake-up in the World Rugby rankings, with Steve Borthwick’s side poised to drop to fourth place.
The Calcutta Cup win, secured by tries from Huw Jones (two), Jamie Ritchie and Ben White, ended England’s 12-match winning streak and eased some of the pressure on Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend. The result means England are set to fall behind France in the rankings when the official standings are released on Monday, assuming Les Bleus defeat Wales on Sunday.
According to the latest standings before Sunday’s match between Wales and France, South Africa remain top with 93.94 points, followed by New Zealand (90.33) and France (88.40). England currently sit on 87.71 points, just ahead of Ireland on 86.81.
While Ireland secured a 20-13 victory over Italy, they did not gain any ranking points for the win. Scotland’s triumph over England, however, has seen them climb to ninth in the world, surpassing Italy in the process. At one point during the match, Scotland were 18 points ahead, potentially setting them up for a climb to seventh, but a late converted try by Ben Earl narrowed the gap to 11.
Had Scotland secured a wider margin of victory – a 31-13 result – the difference between England and Ireland in the rankings would have been even tighter, with only 0.05 points separating the two sides ahead of their upcoming clash at Twickenham. A win for Ireland in that match would see them overtake England, unless France were to unexpectedly lose to Wales.
The outcome of Sunday’s match between Wales and France will therefore determine the final standings. A French victory would confirm England’s drop to fourth place, positioning France behind only South Africa and New Zealand in the World Rugby rankings.
As of February 14, 2026, the World Rugby rankings are: 1. South Africa (93.94), 2. New Zealand (90.33), 3. France (88.40), 4. England (87.71), 5. Ireland (86.81), 6. Argentina (84.97), 7. Australia (81.53), 8. Fiji (81.14), 9. Scotland (81.10), 10. Italy (79.81).