Denmark climb World Rugby Men’s Rankings
THE Danes are up four places to 73rd after a 22-10 win over hosts Norway in the final game of Rugby Europe Conference 2 North. Denmark have finished second in Rugby Europe Conference 2 North behind champions Finland after a 22-10 win away to Norway.
In bright, sunny conditions in Stavanger, Denmark raced into an early 10-0 lead but a determined performance from Norway ensured the match remained competitive until the end.
It was Denmark’s eighth win in a row over Norway and their second of the competition following a 25-10 win over Andorra in October.
Denmark move up four places to 73rd in the World Rugby Men’s Rankings powered by Capgemini as a result of their latest victory, while Norway end the campaign bottom of the standings and at an-time rankings low of 102nd.
The two other Rugby Europe matches this weekend took place in the southern Conferences with wins for Cyprus and Montenegro, neither of whom are ranked because they are not full member unions of World Rugby.
Bulgaria went into the match with Cyprus – the first between the teams since 2014 – only needing to draw to overhaul Israel at the top of the Conference 1 South table but came up a long way short in Nicosia, losing 35-17.
Meanwhile, Montenegro condemned Turkey to bottom place in the Conference 2 South standings with a 26-24 win at the Madžarica Stadium in Bar. Calculation
Men’s and Women’s World Rugby Rankings are calculated using a ‘Points Exchange’ system, where sides gain or lose points based on the match result. Other criteria include the relative strength of each team, the margin of victory, and an allowance for home advantage.
Member Unions
All member countries have a rating, typically between 0 and 100. The top side in the world will normally have a rating above 90. Any match that is not a full international between two member countries does not count at all.
RWC ranking
Points are doubled during the World Cup Finals to recognise the importance of this event, but all other international matches, friendly or competitive, are treated the same across the world.