SpringGoats slip to 6th in the World Rankings

World Rankings

Previous position in brackets

1(1) New Zealand 94.78
2(2) England 89.84
3(3) Australia 86.97
4(4) Ireland 84.62
5(6) Wales 82.55
6(5) South Africa 81.79
7(7) Scotland 80.67
8(8) France 80.13
9(9) Argentina 79.91
10(10) Fiji 76.46

11(11) Japan 74.22
12(12) Georgia 74.14
13(13) Italy 72.47
14(15) Tonga 71.94
15(14) Samoa 71.25
16(16) Romania 69.36
17(17) USA 64.66
18(18) Canada 63.95
19(19) Russia 63.25
20(20) Namibia 62.78

 If I had to no nominate the team we most resemble at the moment it would be Argentina.....both sides are completely unable to play to the moment, as Bargie showed so conclusively against 14 Poms. The difference is the Bargies have better backs, but they should lose Hernandez.

Back to where they were in October last year under Meyer.   That does not show how really bad they were under Coetzee .   All of Scotland, Argentina and Fiji will beat them if they had to play those teams.  

the main 2 issues are 
1. too much passing back to the forwards. (due to no game plan)2. Breakdown skills are pathetic. 
If we could get those things sorted- the Boks would at least score some tries. One thing about Plumtree for the Sharks is that he could coach players how to compete at the ruck- as did John Mitchell.
A John Mitchell and Plumtree combinations for the Boks could do wonders. Some Good cop bad cop routine should sort out any of the passengers. Mitchell would be the bad cop of course.

 I was hoping it would have at least been down to 8th. 
I see we are up against the French in a 3 test series next year June.
I suspect Coetzee the quota will be retained till further notice. Hopefully they'll whitewash us and help us further down the sewer.  
It would be wonderful to hit double digits before the RC next year.
Viva Le France!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

We are lucky to be playing France next year. They are the lowest ranked of the top tier nations. Can you imagine we had to play England or Wales three games in a row? 

 Well ... we just lost to Italy and to a very poor Welsh side. 
France could easily clean us up.
I am hopeful of a good rogering come June 2017.

 

I would say 9 is a fair ranking for us right now. Surely we could not lose to the pap Fijians!!
But I guess the anc won't be satisfied until we are out of the top ten. 

 Rankings of this type are based on too low samples.

Teams might be of similar level (over ten matches, one wins five and loses five)
With three games played, this type of rankings gives one before the other.

NZ is well ahead. They have no rival.

Behind, AUS, ENG and IRE. Only because they can consistently beat the rest of the teams. Except AUS at their best moments, they are all unable to produce a rugby to challenge NZ on a regular basis.

SA is in a third group with countries like Wales and Italy.

 yeah, Argentina has had a season almost as bad as SA.
They made a huge mistake IMO,... the year they entered the SR competition they also banned the players playing overseas from the national team. That should be something the SARU should look at now they are planning changes.

The season is too long,... the SR comp, June tests, Rugby Championship and the EOYT is far too much for one same team,... they had a team of 36 or so players to compete in all the tournaments,... that's a huge and overwhelming task,... btwin injuries, the fatigue caused by the multiple journeys, etc. it's impossible they could have had a good season
In the last test against England they looked powerless against a 14 men team,... they looked like they can never reach the English,... they were a SR team playing a test side.

So, while the complete banning of the players playing overseas has been positive for NZ and England, it can be no so positive for other countries.
In the case of Argentina, they needed the overseas players to complete a competitive test team,... IMO they should review this politic and look for some changes,.... one possibilty could be to only ban the overseas players from playing the official tournaments (Rugby Championship and RWC) while letting them play the June tests and EOYT,... in this way the overseas players can be kept in contact with the national team and, for example, in WC year play the SR without any special adjustment needed and then the WC,... this formula would also avoid the pathetic image Argentina gave against England,... with the likes of Marcos Ayerza, Carizza, Fernandez-Lobbe, Patricio Fernandez (Clermont's flyhalf, Juan Martin Hernandez is a disaster at flyhalf and he proved it against England), Marcelo Bosch, Juan Imhoff, etc. the outcome vs. England could have been completely different