What a weekend of Six Nations, with two big upsets as England beat Ireland and Italy beat Scotland for the first time in 11 years in Rome.
The victory was monumental for the Azzurri, not only breaking a winless period but also surpassing Australia for the first time since the ranking was introduced in 2003.
There could be some interesting tabletop conversation at Raina's house after Louis, son of Wallabies legend Michael, scored his debut goal in Italy's win.
The departed Harlequins man only recently decided to move to Benetton next season and represent Italy, but was offered a head-on by Gonzalo Quesada.
Italy are currently ranked 9th in the world and will be aiming for their second consecutive title, with their sights set on Wales in next weekend's Wooden Spoon Championship.
otherwise it won't work
The win between England and Ireland was full of drama, with Marcus Smith scoring a drop goal for a narrow 23-22 win. Following some blockbuster performances across the Red Rose squad, Ben Earl achieved a perfect 10 in Planet Rugby's Player Ratings.
England player ratings: Red Rose Seal hero Ben Earl's stunning win over Ireland
The victory takes them to 1.42 points, slightly less than Italy's win, but France's win does not improve the Red Roses' place. Had Les Bleus failed to beat Wales, England would have slipped to fourth place.
In Ireland's case, although their position has not changed, they have fallen behind world champions Springboks, who currently sit 3.85 points above Andy Farrell's team.
World Rugby Ranking (2024/11/03)
1) South Africa 94.54
2) Ireland 90.69
3) New Zealand 89.80
4) France 87.31
5) England 86.35
6) Scotland 82.82
7) Argentina 80.68
8) Wales 78.62
9) Italy 78.05
10) Australia 77.48
read more: Who's glamorous and who's not: England answers to critics, record-breaking former All Black and Irish humble pie
