Scotland slip out of World Rugby top 10

SCOTLAND have dropped out of the world top 10 in the latest rankings issued by World Rugby.
Richie Gray, John Barclay and Mark Bennett trudge off the pitch. Picture: Ian RutherfordRichie Gray, John Barclay and Mark Bennett trudge off the pitch. Picture: Ian Rutherford
Richie Gray, John Barclay and Mark Bennett trudge off the pitch. Picture: Ian Rutherford

The 15-9 loss to England at the weekend at BT Murrayfield allowed Japan and Fiji to leapfrog Vern Cotter’s side into ninth and tenth respectively, with Scotland now outside the top 10 in eleventh place, having sat in ninth before the Calcutta Cup clash.

England are up to seventh while France have fallen to eighth.

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The top six spots are unchanged, with New Zealand, Australia and South Africa occupying the top three spots.

Wales, who drew with Ireland at the weekend, are in fourth while Argentina and Ireland are in fifth and sixth spots.

Behind Scotland in twelfth place are Italy, with Tonga, Georgia and Samoa making up the rest of the top 15.

England coach Eddie Jones said at the weekend that if England were ranked eighth at the time of the next Rugby World Cup draw, then they would be ‘in another pool of death and that’s not nice’.

England were eliminated from the 2015 tournament after successive losses to Wales and Australia, and failed to progress to the knockout stages - the first time in the tournament’s history that the hosts had fallen at the first hurdle.

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