Kenya Simbas have made strides in the World Rugby Rankings, moving up three places to 33rd after their clean sweep against Uganda in the Elgon Cup, held during the November Internationals window.
Under the guidance of head coach Jerome Paarwater, the Simbas secured a decisive 21-5 victory over Uganda at Kings Park on Saturday.
Kenya Simbas points
The win propelled Kenya to 51.55 points, allowing them to leapfrog Poland and Korea to claim their new position. This improvement places Kenya alongside the Netherlands as the biggest climbers this week, both having gained three spots.
Kenya Simbas among biggest climbers on World Ranking. PHOTO/World Rugby
While Kenya celebrated their rise, the result was less favorable for Uganda, who dropped five places, making them the biggest fallers in this week’s rankings.
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Elsewhere in Africa, Zimbabwe’s Sables moved up two places following their victory over Korea. At the top of the rankings, South Africa retained their position as the world’s number one team, extending their lead to two points after a 29-20 win over England.
World Rankings top 40. PHOTO/World Rugby
The Springboks now hold 92.78 points, with Ireland climbing to second place (90.78 points) after a narrow 22-19 victory over Argentina. New Zealand’s 30-29 loss to France saw them drop to third with 90.09 points.
France, in fourth, are just two points shy of breaking into the top three following their win in Paris. Despite their promising start against Italy, Georgia missed an opportunity to enter the top 10 for the first time in history.
After leading 17-6 at halftime, they fell to a 20-17 defeat in Genoa, keeping Wales in the top 10 despite their 52-20 loss to Australia. The gap between Wales and Georgia is now a mere 0.16 points.
The USA climbed one place to 15th after a 36-17 win against Tonga, overtaking Portugal, who lost to Scotland. Japan also gained one position, moving to 13th after defeating Uruguay 36-20.
The Netherlands emerged as another standout performer, defeating Chile 20-17. Their victory moved them up three places to 24th, continuing their progress under head coach Lyn Jones.
World Rankings top 10. PHOTO/ World Rugby
World Rugby Rankings are determined using a points exchange system. Points are gained or lost based on match results, the relative strength of the teams, and the margin of victory. Home advantage is also factored into the calculations.
Rankings are updated following full international matches, with points exchanges doubled during the Rugby World Cup Finals to reflect the event’s significance. Non-international matches between member nations do not affect rankings.
The top-ranked teams typically hold ratings above 90, with all member countries having a rating between 0 and 100.
