Springboks and All Blacks rankings stakes set for Ellis Park Test

The Springboks and All Blacks will meet at Ellis Park with the World Rugby number one position vulnerable to change. Across 110 previous matches, New Zealand have won 63, South Africa 43 and four have ended in draws.

Saturday’s fixture is the opening Test of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series in South Africa. The match brings together the two highest-ranked teams in the World Rugby standings, making the result important beyond the long-running contest between the sides.

World Rugby has released the ranking permutations for the first Test. The calculations leave the top position open to movement after the match, although the available details do not set out the exact points change for each possible result.

That leaves South Africa facing a significant rankings test at home. The Springboks begin the contest among the leading two teams, but their position at the summit is not secure once the series starts. New Zealand have the same opportunity to alter the order at the top through the Ellis Park result.

The fixture carries added focus because it is the only high-profile rugby international scheduled for this weekend. The Rugby Championship was not held this year, leaving the first meeting between these rivals as the weekend’s main match involving leading international sides.

History gives New Zealand the advantage in the overall head-to-head record, with the All Blacks holding a 63-43 lead and four draws from 110 encounters. That record provides the background to a match whose immediate consequence will be measured in the World Rugby rankings, with the first Test also establishing the starting point for the rest of the rivalry series.