Considering that the 2024 Autumn Nations are well underway, this moment is as good as any to talk about the best rugby nations in the world. The best of the best will be taking each other head-on across stadiums in Europe. The Old Continent will witness some top-ranking teams in matches, but do you know which teams are the best now?
If you’re even remotely into this sport, you ought to know that the best rugby is played by national teams. Depending on the results each team makes, the general rugby public perceives them differently. Many people still believe that New Zealand is the best team in the world because they were ranked number one for an entire decade from 2009 to 2019. But is that really the case?
The rankings for the best team in the world of rugby have been in the public domain since 2003. In little more than 20 years only six teams have managed to climb to number one spot. They are France, Wales, Ireland, England, South Africa and New Zealand. There are many factors influencing the rankings of the best teams, such as style, achievements, form, and trajectory. Based on those elements, here is our list of the top five nations in rugby in the wake of the 2024 Autumn Nations. We hope that you will not be disappointed with the list ahead.
France
The French rugby national selection is a force to be reckoned with. No one is eager to go against Antoine Dupont and his boys. While the team failed to go further than the quarter-finals of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, they lost to eventual winner South Africa, and that tells a good story about their strength. That defeat didn’t bode well with the team, and now, one year later, they are not at the top of their game. The main issue this team has is that Dupont is not his old self, with his focus being switched to the Olympic games, where he won a Gold medal for France in the Rugby 7s for his nation. The sheer talent to make the switch and win the Gold speaks volumes of the player.
Despite this, the French national rugby team is still filled with stars of this sport. Because of this, they can still push the best teams in the world to their limits, but due to disconnection in their ranks, they are not in a poll position to be the best of the best. Italy, the team they would easily beat in the past, held them to a 13-13 draw during their 2024 Six Nations matchup. Despite that setback, they finished as the second nation in that competition. While things haven’t been going their way since the World Cup, they can still perform at the highest level, which is enough to rank them as the fifth-strongest nation in the world of rugby, in our opinion.
One of the moments that will be long remembered by rugby fans worldwide is when Louis Bielle-Biarrey had a try against Scotland, kicked the ball through, and caught it himself to go over. Plays like this one by the young French winger and his teammates will keep the eyes of the French public on this team in matches to come. If you’re into online sports betting, France should be one of the teams on your slips, as they will win plenty of matches during the end-of-year tests.
Scotland
The sport of rugby was invented in Great Britain, so you will not be surprised by the number of teams from the Islands featured on this list. Scotland is one of the teams that we are in awe of when it comes to modern rugby. During the 2023 World Cup, they were put into the so-called group of death with Ireland and South Africa. They couldn’t come out victorious against these teams but they didn’t fold under the pressure. Since then, the team has been on an upward trajectory. While some pundits might argue that Scotland is not a team in top form, as witnessed by their Six Nations performances, they are a team that will give everyone a run for their money.
Scotland is not a team focused only on team results. They also have a pennant for creating magic moments during their official matches. If you want to pay attention to Scotland’s team you need to follow Duhan van der Merwe and Finn Russell closely. These two men are at the top of their games, and they are showing no signs of slowing down. Russell is the heartbeat of this game, making his teammates better and gelling everyone together. Van der Merwe is a speedster on the wing, relishing big matches, especially when pinned against England. In our humble opinion, Scotland showed just enough in recent months to be ranked as the fourth-strongest team in rugby.
New Zealand
New Zealand is truly a magnificent rugby nation. One could argue that their performance during the matches and the famed Haka dance before matches have put rugby on the map of sports of the world. As we already said they are the team that spent the most time at the top of every rugby rankings. You could say that they are still going strong; it’s just that the fear factor they once had is no more. Before the 2023 Rugby World Cup, nobody saw them as favorites. But, they showed the pride, determination, skill, and quality necessary to reach the end stages of the tournament. After beating Argentina and Ireland they’ve reached the final as many times before. It’s how they say; the form can dip, but the class is permanent.
Yes, they’ve lost the final in South Africa, but once again, they have proven to everyone that they’re not a team that should be written off before the game starts. If you love to watch exciting types of rugby, The All Blacks should be your team. With players such as back Will Jordan, New Zealand does not have to be worried about their rugby future. You probably remember him as the man who tied the number of tries scored at a single RWC, as he did it eight times. Injuries have derailed him for a bit, but at full power Jordan is unstoppable. This feat was done only twice at RWC, and it was in the hands of Will’s compatriot Jonah Lomu and South African legend Bryan Habana. That’s a nice company to be in. Trust us when we say it.
Today, New Zealand is in years of transition, as the team is under new head coach Scott Robertson. Despite the managerial switch, this team will remain one of the top in the world in the future.
South Africa
In recent years, South Africa came back to the top of the game once again. This SA team is a special one, and if you’re into sport betting, it’s one to follow closely. They aim to win every game, and they have succeeded in doing so in recent years. The Springboks won the 2023 Rugby World Cup and have become the only second team to win back-to-back RWCs. Their most recent win tastes even sweeter knowing they won against New Zealand. Even more interesting is that they won each elimination game by a singular point. It is important to know that South Africa is not only good at rugby, but they also have lady luck on their side. It would be best if you had a tad bit of luck to win the Rugby World Cup four times, and South Africa is the team that holds this record.
You could argue that it was easy for them to win the last one, considering that they have the best player in rugby in their team, Siya Kolisi. Kolisi is the powertrain of this team, and every play revolves around him. He’s one of those presences bigger than the sport making everyone around him better. This is not to say that there are no other stars in this South African team. The Springboks are a team filled with rugby stars such as Aphelele Fassi, a star in the making, Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, Eben Etzebeth, and Pieter-Steph du Toit.
As you can see, South Africa has a nice blend of experience and youth, making its future bright. Despite its recent RWC success, it is not the top dog on our list. Brace for a big surprise.
Ireland
Rugby is a sport of winning. If you’re not winning today, you will fall behind in the race to be the best. That’s why Ireland is the number one team on our list. Yes, they have failed to reach the semi-finals of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, but that major setback didn’t influence the minds of Irish players. The quality was always there and they’ve proven it all over again during the latest Six Nations tournament. In 2024, the team led by Andy Farrell played the best rugby in the history of Ireland. No team of the past comes close to these lads.
The Six Nations tournament in 2024 was not easy for Ireland. Their first match was against France, which also lost in the quarter-finals of the 2023 RWC. It was a tough test for both teams, but Ireland showed resilience and continued their good form this year. In what many believed would be a close matchup, Ireland dominated France and showed they are currently playing on a higher level than their competition.
If you follow rugby closely, watch the ongoing Autumn Nations Series 2024, and are placing bets at Stake, you need to know that it will take a really special opponent to take down Ireland. They are a strong team, playing good, fast-paced rugby, and are being coached by Farrell, who knows the game, knows his players, and has job security as he just signed a contract that will keep him at Irish helm up until the 2027 Rugby World Cup. The predispositions are there for Ireland to control the game of Rugby in years to come.
What’s Next in the World of Rugby?
As we have already mentioned a few times, the Autumn Nations Series 2024 is underway at the moment, and the not-so-friendly matches have plenty of fire in them. Rugby fans have much to look forward to in the coming days and weeks, as some of the best teams in the world are going to cross their spears. Teams from the Southern Hemisphere are visiting the North, and they will not be welcomed.
The eyes of the rugby world will be set on duels such as Ireland vs. Argentina, where the Irishmen will try to assert their dominance and show why we’ve ranked them as the number one team in this list. Other duels that will blow your mind include the classics between France and New Zealand at Stade de France and England vs. South Africa in a match that will be a true test of SA’s strength and English competence to bring their team back to the top where it belongs.
While rugby has seen some of its best eras in the past, you could argue that we live in an age where parity is at an all-time high. New Zealand is as good as ever and can beat every opponent. Regarding trophies won, South Africa has shown that they can play their best game when it matters the most, while Ireland has proven that when they tie a string of games together and hit the right form, no one can beat them. With the likes of France, Scotland, England, and Australia lurking behind, the list we have above could look much more different in the not-so-distant future.
