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Australia’s 34-19 defeat of New Zealand in an entertaining Bledisloe Cup encounter in Sydney on Saturday not only took them to the top of the Tri Nations table but also to within touching distance of the All Blacks in the latest IRB World Rankings.
The Wallabies had gone into the first of four Bledisloe Cup Tests in 2008 trailing second ranked New Zealand by 3.06 rating points, but tries by Ryan Cross, Peter Hynes, Rocky Elsom and James Horwill at ANZ Stadium have seen the deficit cut to just 1.05 points.
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Australia have not occupied second spot in the rankings since losing to England in the Rugby World Cup 2007 quarter-finals, while New Zealand have only briefly once before been ranked as low as third after losing to the Wallabies in the RWC 2003 semi-finals.
That could all change when the sides meet again at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday, although Australia’s victory in Sydney also means they are now only 2.83 rating points adrift of world champions and number one ranked side South Africa.
Australia’s back to back victories over the Springboks and All Blacks on home soil in the Tri Nations over the last fortnight have also extended their advantage over fourth ranked Argentina to 3.76 points with England, the leading northern hemisphere side, a few tenths further back in fifth.
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