Boks reach their highest World Rugby ranking, but further heights await

The all-conquering Springboks won the inaugural Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Series via a 3-1 scoreline courtesy of a comfortable 43-28 win over the All Blacks in Baltimore on Saturday.

The win extends the Boks' buffer at the top of the world rugby rankings. The teams entered the historic tour as the top two sides in the world and whoever won was going to have the mantle.

The Boks were 2.44 points ahead of the All Blacks going into the series finale, but that has now increased to 3.95 points. Rassie Erasmus' charges will find themselves on 95.09 points when the rankings are officially updated by World Rugby at noon on Monday. This is their highest points tally since the IRB rankings were introduced in 2003.

It highlights the journey Erasmus has taken with his Springboks. South Africa were languishing in seventh place on a measly 82.78 points when he took over in 2018.

But more history potentially awaits. The indomitable All Blacks side of the early 2010s would reach a record 96.57 points in 2016. This may seem within touching distance for the Springboks, but they would need four big results before the year is out.

The Boks next face Australia and Italy away. But given their low rankings, even comfortable wins would not get them close to eclipsing New Zealand's record.

However, if they pass those tests, the Boks have a chance at setting a new rankings record on November. Matches against France in Saint-Denis and Ireland in Dublin are certainly not easy fixtures, but if the Boks find themselves in the winning side they are projected to go past 97 points. However, just one loss to any of those teams and they will have to wait until 2027 for another chance.

It's tough at the top.