What autumn internationals mean for World Cup draw

On Saturday, teams will begin their preparation for the 2027 Rugby World Cup draw, which will take place in the same location. They are hoping to score important ranking points.

For the tournament’s group stage in Australia, teams will be divided into six of four pools.

The top six players in the world rankings, which are currently in place in band one for the draw, would avoid playing against one another on the pool stage.

Wales (12th) will want to avoid being eliminated from the second band of teams and facing an even trickier World Cup draw, while Australia (seventh) and Scotland (eighth) will be aiming for strong autumns to break into the top six.

The autumn matches also give head coaches the chance to train and improve their tactics as the World Cup is in two years.

The rankings for World Rugby are based on a “points exchange” system, which allows teams to gain or lose points based on the outcome of the match.

Other factors include the margin of victory, the relative strength of each team, and the allowance for home advantage.

The top 18 teams right now are:

1. South Africa92.20

2. New Zealand90.02

3. Ireland 89.83

4. France 87.82

5. England 87.64

6. Argentina 83.82

7. Australia 83.30

8. Scotland 81.57

9. Fiji 81.16

10. Italy 77.77

11. Georgia 74.69

12. Wales 74.05

13. Japan 73.25

14. Spain 69.12

15. USA 67.40

16. Samoa 66.94

17. Chile 66.72

18. Tonga 66.66

Games against Japan, Australia, and world champion South Africawill follow in Dublin.

It’s a challenging autumn task for Ireland to face the three major southern hemisphere teams, but they are still up there in the rankings with enough points to maintain their position.

Steve Borthwick’s side won seven games in a row after losing three of their four autumn internationals last year.

England is fifth in the world thanks to an impressive series win over Argentina without their Lions stars.

Borthwick’s side will want to make a statement this autumn and surpass France, the previous year’s Six Nations champion, in the rankings.

With their matches against the United States, New Zealand, Argentina, and Tonga, Scotland have a good chance of advancing up the rankings.

The fixture list is favorable, and Gregor Townsend’s side, who won three of their four games last autumn, will relish their chances there.

Scotland will be hoping to get their hands on a potential first win over the All Blacks in history because New Zealandwill depart from Chicago for Edinburgh after a demanding game against Ireland.

On Sunday, November 9, Steve Tandy will take charge of Wales when they play Argentina for the first time.

The first two matches give Tandy the best chance of claiming his first victory, having ended their 18-game losing streak in July against Japan, who they face in their second autumn international.

In their first summer international match, the Brave Blossoms defeated Wales, which places them just below Tandy’s side in the world rankings.

It is a big autumn for Scott Robertson’s New Zealandafter they came up short again to South Africain the Rugby Championship.

Robertson must now put pressure on himself to get better after his first defeat in Argentina and his shock record-breaking defeat against the Springboks.

His team defeated England and Ireland in three of their four games last autumn, and his team won.

At the start of October, the world champions won back-to-back Rugby Championship titles and were at the top of the world rankings.

France and Ireland will play in Dublin, a place where Rassie Erasmus has never won as head coach.

A clean sweep of victories over Japan (at Wembley Stadium), Italy, and Wales would undoubtedly boost South Africa’s standing as the favorites to win the third World Cup in a row.

However, he extended his agreement in April to 2026, when he will hand over Les Kiss with a better squad.

Wins over South Africaand Argentina in the Rugby Championship will give the Wallabies confidence heading into the autumn.