World Rugby has published the ranking permutations for this weekend’s climax to the World Rugby Pacific Four Series 2023 in Canada and the test match in Spain.
Permutation highlights:
- New Zealand cannot improve their rating with victory over USA due to the 18.38 points difference between the two sides.
- Canada can only gain a maximum of 0.35 points by beating Australia so are unable to make significant in-roads into France’s 5.62 advantage over them in third.
- The Wallaroos will remain fifth in defeat.
- Australia, however, will climb to a new high of fourth if they beat Canada by more than 15 points with the Wallaroos then swapping places with their hosts.
- USA must beat New Zealand to climb above Wales into sixth place.
- They can climb no higher than sixth but could close to only 0.49 of a rating point behind Australia were they to win by more than 15 points and the Wallaroos lose by the same margin.
- The Black Ferns cannot slip from second place in defeat but could see their cushion over France below reduced to 1.24 rating points.
- Spain must beat Japan by more than 15 points to become the higher-ranked of the two nations and replace them in 11th place.
- Las Leonas will fall one to a new low of 13th if beaten by Japan with South Africa the beneficiaries.
- Japan cannot improve on 11th place even with a win by more than 15 points but would cut the deficit to Ireland above to 1.05 rating points.
VIEW WORLD RUGBY WOMEN’S RANKINGS POWERED BY CAPGEMINI >>
Match officials:
- Julianne Zussman (Canada) takes charge of New Zealand v USA, having made her test debut with the Women’s Eagles loss to Canada in the World Rugby Pacific Four Series in 2021. The former Canadian international also oversaw USA’s record loss to Australia last weekend.
- Sara Cox (England) will become the most-capped female referee history when she takes charge of Canada v Australia in the Pacific Four Series, surpassing Clare Daniels’ record of 34 tests. She has refereed this fixture once before, Canada’s 43-12 win in the fifth-place play-off at Rugby World Cup 2017.
- Melissa Leboeuf (France) will referee Japan for the first time in what is her second test in the middle. She took charge of Spain’s 70-0 defeat of the Netherlands in the Rugby Europe Women’s Championship 2023 in February.
The rankings preview can be read via the Match Notes page in the Media Zone.
Credit: World Rugby