France have dropped two places on the IRB world rankings after their 27-6 defeat to Wales last week.

Les Bleus now sit in seventh spot below Wales and Ireland, and the three sides are now separated by just two tenths of a rating point with England remaining the leading northern hemisphere nation in the rankings with a cushion that is now up to 4.7.

Italy also suffered a slip in ranking position following Scotland’s 21-20 win over the Azzurri thanks to a dramatic drop-goal from Duncan Weir.

IRB World Rankings (top 15):
(Previous position bracketed)

1 (1). New Zealand 93.81
2 (2). South Africa 89.34
3 (3). Australia 86.88
4 (4). England 85.46
5 (6). Ireland 80.76
6 (7). Wales 80.60
7 (5). France 80.56
8 (8). Samoa 77.34
9 (9). Argentina 76.44
10 (10). Scotland 76.35
11 (11). Fiji 74.21
12 (12). Tonga 73.21
13 (14). Japan 72.06
14 (13). Italy 72.05
15 (15). Canada 70.75

Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images