It is an inevitable fact that in every sport, a list is formed to show who is the best and who needs to improve to reach the top. It is not just a piece of information. For the contenders, it is an incentive. For the leaders, it is a reason to stay there. But most of all it is a tool for all professional tipsters to consider before making their suggestions for profitable betting.
In the world of Rugby, the ranking is based on an exchange system that takes into account only the results of full international matches. Any match that does not meet this prerequisite does not count.
The Point Exchange System
To put it simply, it’s a system that is dependent on the results. The winning team is awarded a number of points that the defeated side loses. The following aspects are included in the count:
- The result of the match
- The relative strength of the competitor teams
- The margin of victory
- The home-field advantage
The points for matches played in the World Cup finals are doubled as a way to recognize the importance of the competition.
More or less the same system is used for the power ranking in women’s competitions. The major difference is that there is a number of starting points due to the fact that the number of matches is way less than that of the men.
The top 10
While the sport is of British origin there are some surprising entries:
MEN WOMEN
Best team: Ireland with 90.03 points England with 96.78 points
Runner up: France with 89.41 New Zealand 89.57
Third: South Africa 89.00 Canada 87.17
Fourth: New Zealand 87.30 France 86.09
Fifth: England 86.25 Italy 80.48
Sixth: Scotland 81.93 USA 76.40
Seventh: Wales 81.28 Australia 75.68
Eighth: Argentina 81.21 Wales 74.26
Ninth: Australia 80.65 Ireland 74.01
Tenth: Japan 77.74 Scotland 69.47
Countries with no tradition of rugby have made it to the top. France, Argentina, Italy and Japan hold quite unexpected high positions, while the ladies of the U.S.A. and Canada represent their countries quite worthily, in a sport that the men are not interested in.
The next bouts
Through the decision to expand the teams of tournament B of the European Championship to 8, in February and March there will be the next tournament where the Europeans will compete and gain or lose points for a change in their position in the ranking. For those two months, all the chat rooms and all the sports betting blogs will show a great increase in their traffic, with people making their predictions and suggestions on who will win and who will relegate to the Trophy division.
