These are men's International Team records in international rugby, updated at the conclusion of the
November Internationals window each year.
To view men's individual records, see
International rugby union player records. To view records of the men's
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is a men's rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sport's international governing body. The winners are awarded the Webb ...
, see
Records and statistics of the Rugby World Cup.
World Rugby Ranking Leaders
Team
World Rankings
Highest rankings
Below is a list of the best and worst ranking positions for the ten highest ranked nations, since the ranking tables were first published on the 13 October 2003:
Most World Ranking points
Below is a list of the Top 10 most accumulated ranking points and corresponding fewest ranking points, since the ranking tables were first published on the 13 October 2003:
Longest tenure ranked at No. 1
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
were ranked as No. 1 when the rankings were introduced in late 2003.
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...
hold the record for the longest run as the No. 1 World Ranked team, spending just less than three months short of 10 years uninterrupted atop the rankings.
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...
were recently replaced as the top ranked team by New Zealand. Not shown on the table, but the only other nations to have been ranked No. 1, are
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
and
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
, each spending two weeks in the top spot in 2019, before both relinquishing the No. 1 spot to New Zealand. Tenures are correct as of the last ranking update for the season on 7 December 2020:
Nations in bold indicate the tenure is ongoing.
* South Africa did not play any matches in the 2020 calendar year due to complications faced with preparation and travel as a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
.
* Amongst South Africa's matches in their recent tenure at No. 1 are three matches against British & Irish Lions, which do not affect ranking points.
Key: y = years, m = months, d = days.
Most matches played ranked at No. 1
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...
hold the record for the most matches played whilst defending the No. 1 World Ranking, playing 128 matches during that time.
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...
were recently replaced by New Zealand top ranked team having played fewer matches in defense of this ranking. Not shown on the table, but the only other nations to have been ranked No. 1, are
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
and
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
, each playing one match before both relinquishing the No. 1 spot to New Zealand. Tenures are correct as of 9 March 2020:
Nations in bold indicate the tenure is ongoing.
Key: y = years, m = months, d = days.
All-time
Most matches
Nations in ''italics'' are classed as Tier 2 since the beginning of the professional era (Aug. 1995), and primarily play other Tier 2 nations.
''Up to date as of 23 July 2022''
Most wins
Nations in ''italics'' are classed as Tier 2 since the beginning of the professional era (Aug. 1995), and primarily play other Tier 2 nations.
''Up to date as of 23 July 2022''
Most consecutive wins
In the professional era (Aug. 1995-), Teams that have played Tier 1 sides in 50% or more of their test matches in their winning run are eligible.
Most consecutive matches without loss
In the professional era (Aug. 1995-), teams that have played Tier 1 sides in 50% or more of their test matches in their winning run are eligible.
An 'N' indicates the unbeaten run contained only wins, with no draws.
* New Zealand and South Africa both recorded multiple draws in their unbeaten runs, as shown.
Most points
Nations in ''italics'' are classed as
Tier 2 since the beginning of the
professional era (Aug. 1995), and primarily play other Tier 2 nations.
''Up to date as of 22 August 2022''
Highest match attendance
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is a men's rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sport's international governing body. The winners are awarded the Webb ...
RWC titles
RWC tournament points
RWC tournament tries
RWC tournament conversions
RWC tournament penalties
RWC tournament drop goals
RWC match margins
RWC match points
RWC match tries
RWC match conversions
RWC match penalties
RWC match drop goals
Calendar year
Most wins
Teams that have played Tier 1 sides in 50% or more of their test matches in that year are eligible.
:
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...
and England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
are the only two Tier 1 nations to complete a calendar year with a 100% win rate in the professional era (Aug. 1995-present).
Most points
Teams that have played Tier 1 sides in 50% or more of their test matches in that year are eligible.
Most tries
Teams that have played Tier 1 sides in 50% or more of their test matches in that year are eligible.
Most conversions
Teams that have played Tier 1 sides in 50% or more of their test matches in that year are eligible.
Most penalties
Teams that have played Tier 1 sides in 50% or more of their test matches in that year are eligible.
Most drop goals
Teams that have played Tier 1 sides in 50% or more of their test matches in that year are eligible.
Nations highlighted in ''italics'' are classed as Tier 2 in the professional era (Aug. 1995–present)
Matches
Team records within test matches.
Most points
Test Matches that have included only Tier 1 Nations and/or Tier 2 Nations are eligible.
Most tries
Test Matches that have included only Tier 1 Nations and/or Tier 2 Nations are eligible.
Most conversions
Test Matches that have included only Tier 1 Nations and/or Tier 2 Nations are eligible.
Most penalties
Test Matches that have included only Tier 1 Nations and/or Tier 2 Nations are eligible.
*
There are 18 Nations that have recorded 8 penalties in a Test Match Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to:
* Test cricket
* Test match (indoor cricket)
* Test match (rugby union)
* Test match (rugby league)
* Test match (association football)
...
. For the purpose of limiting the list to a reasonable size, the matches with the five highest scores by the team recording 8 penalties are shown here.
Most drop goals
Test Matches that have included only Tier 1 Nations and/or Tier 2 Nations are eligible.
*
There are 37 instances that Nations have recorded 3 drop goals in a Test Match Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to:
* Test cricket
* Test match (indoor cricket)
* Test match (rugby union)
* Test match (rugby league)
* Test match (association football)
...
. For the purpose of limiting the list to a reasonable size, the matches with the seven highest scores by the team recording 3 drop goals are shown here.
Most aggregate points
Test Matches that have included only Tier 1 Nations and/or Tier 2 Nations are eligible.
Most aggregate tries
Test Matches that have included only Tier 1 Nations and/or Tier 2 Nations are eligible.
Most aggregate conversions
Test Matches that have included only Tier 1 Nations and/or Tier 2 Nations are eligible.
Most aggregate penalties
Test Matches that have included only Tier 1 Nations and/or Tier 2 Nations are eligible.
*
There are 14 instances where 12 penalties have been recorded in a Test Match Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to:
* Test cricket
* Test match (indoor cricket)
* Test match (rugby union)
* Test match (rugby league)
* Test match (association football)
...
. For the purpose of limiting the list to a reasonable size, the five highest total-scoring matches are shown here.
Most aggregate drop goals
Test Matches that have included only Tier 1 Nations and/or Tier 2 Nations are eligible.
*
There are 12 instances where 4 drop goals have been recorded in a Test Match Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to:
* Test cricket
* Test match (indoor cricket)
* Test match (rugby union)
* Test match (rugby league)
* Test match (association football)
...
. For the purpose of limiting the list to a reasonable size, the eight highest total scoring matches are shown here.
See also
*
International rugby union player records
*
Records and statistics of the Rugby World Cup
*
List of international rugby union teams
The following is a list of international rugby union teams:
National teams – band classification
Starting in 2008, in addition to the existing tier system, the IRB introduced a four-band system of classification in which unions are classifi ...
References
External links
Rugby Union Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:International Rugby Union Team Records
Rugby union records and statistics