Are the world's four best rugby teams all from the Southern Hemisphere?

Question

The new IRB World Rankings have been released: 1-South Africa, 2-New Zealand, 3-Argentina, 4-Australia. Is Southern Hemisphere rugby really that much better?

http://www.irb.com/rankings/index.html

Answer 1

h**l yes we Southerners are the best in the World and I'm a biased Aussie.

Answer 2

all you need to do is look at Bill to see that out of the 6 World Cups, 5 have been won by Southern Hemisphere teams!!

and dont forget all the other awesome teams that play amazing styles of rugby...the Tongans, the Samoans and of course the Flying Fijians!!

Answer 3

no way top 6 should be 1. South Africa 2. New Zealand 3. England 4. France 5. Australia and no 6. Argentina

Answer 4

The IRB says it, so yeah i guess so.

Answer 5

Of course it is. Not that being a Kiwi makes me in the slightest bit prejudiced tho!

Answer 6

How on earth can the Southern Hemisphere claim Argentina? They have done absolutely nothing to develop Argentinian rugby.and flatly refuse.. and all of the argies play a NH style of rugby...at NH clubs

Answer 7

Yeah, I'm with Eckybun on this one. I'm from the US but I like the way the All Blacks play(aside from the time they make stupid mistakes)

Answer 8

The reason they are better is because they have an attack minded style of play.  Teams from the southern hemisphere are out to take the ball and shove it down their opponents throat quick and often.  I see northern hemisphere rugby as methodical and slow, teams look to hold possession for long periods of time and then score using set pieces to their advantage not open field play.

Answer 9

World cup always screws with the rankings.

England lost double the points they normally would have for losing in the final.

England, France and Wales are all much better rugby nations than Argentina. And all three have a much brighter rugby future.

Answer 10

Well, I'm English but I support the All Blacks because I love the way they play. I never watch UK Club Rugby and I can't wait for the Super 14 and Tri Nations this year. Argentina were a revelation at the World Cup and I loved every minute of every match I saw them play in. I think the most consistent sides are the Southern Hemisphere sides. They are also the most enjoyable to watch play.