All Blacks slump in rankings after semifinal loss

Dejected All Blacks players after their loss to England in their World Cup semifinal. Photo: Getty
Dejected All Blacks players after their loss to England in their World Cup semifinal. Photo: Getty
The blows keep coming for the All Blacks in the aftermath of their Rugby World Cup semifinal loss.

Knocked out of the tournament after suffering a 19-7 defeat to England on the weekend, the All Blacks have slumped to their lowest world rugby ranking in 16 years.

England snatched the number one title while booking themselves a spot in the World Cup final, and South Africa's tight 19-16 semifinal win over Wales pushed the All Blacks even further down the ladder into third place.

The last time the All Blacks were ranked so low was during the 2003 Rugby World Cup after they were knocked out in the semifinals by Australia.

They moved back up to second at the conclusion of the tournament and have remained in the top two spots up until now - a span of 5819 days.

However, the All Blacks will have a chance to redeem themselves - by one spot at least - a win over fourth-ranked Wales in Friday's bronze medal match and an England win on Saturday could see the All Blacks move into second place above South Africa.

The All Blacks play Wales on Friday night at 10pm NZT.

Current world rugby rankings

1. England - 92.29
2. South Africa - 90.71
3. New Zealand - 89.92
4. Wales - 87.21
5. Ireland - 84.45
6. Australia - 81.90
7. France - 80.88
8. Japan - 79.28
9. Scotland - 79.23
10. Argentina - 78.31