World Rugby Women's Rankings preview: 11-12 May

The men’s and women’s World Rugby Rankings are calculated using a points exchange system, in which sides take points off each other based on the match result. Whatever one side gains, the other loses. The exchanges are based on the match result, the relative strength of each team and the margin of victory (15 points or less / more than 15 points), and there is an allowance for home advantage. Any match that is not a full international between two World Rugby full member unions does not count towards the rankings, e.g. the British and Irish Lions test against Japan.

STATS ON WORLD RUGBY WOMEN’S RANKINGS

• New Zealand cannot improve their rating with victory over USA in their first test of the year due to the 17.99 points and eight places between the teams before home weighting is factored in.

• If beaten, the Black Ferns are guaranteed to keep hold of second place as even a loss by more than 15 points would still leave them 0.29 points better off than France in third.

• USA currently sit at their lowest-ever position of 10th but will jump three places to seventh – above Ireland, Italy and Wales – if they beat New Zealand for the first time since Women’s Rugby World Cup 1991. • Canada must beat Australia by more than 15 points in the other World Rugby Pacific Four Series match this weekend to climb above France into third place.

• If that happens and USA stun the Black Ferns by the same margin then Canada would close to just 0.04 rating points of the world champions in second.

• Australia are safe in fifth place regardless of the outcome of either game.

• A win by more than 15 points for the Wallaroos, though, will see the deficit between themselves and Canada above cut to 1.16 rating points from the current 4.66 points. • For the third match in the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup 2024, South Africa cannot improve their rating or their current position of 12th by beating a Madagascar side 19.14 points and 14 places worse off than them. • However, the Springbok Women will lose a place and fall below Spain if they fail to beat Madagascar for the first time.

• A draw would be enough to lift Madagascar above Trinidad and Tobago into 25th but a win by more than 15 points would see the Lady Makis climb three places to 23rd regardless of the outcome of the other match.