World Champions Springboks End Year Top of Rugby Rankings Despite England Loss

• The Springboks have retained the top spot in the latest World Rugby rankings after their European tour
• Despite losing to England at Twickenham, the Boks had bagged wins against Wales and Scotland
• New Zealand and England occupy second and third positions, respectively, according to the rankings released by World Rugby

The Springboks have proven that their recent loss to England to cap off their end of year tour to the United Kingdom was a mere blight to a near-perfect season.

The Boks dropped the ball to gift the Lions a last-minute 27-26 win at Twickenham on Saturday but will end the year as the highest-ranked rugby nation.

Defeat to Marcus Smith's penalty in the 80th-minute was the third time this season the world champions have lost a Test with virtually the final kick of the match, according to Daily Maverick.

Helping their cause were the preceding wins against Wales and Scotland, whom the world rugby champions 23-18 and 30-15, respectively.

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Interestingly, for the first time in 19 years, the big three teams from the Southern Hemisphere – South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia – all lost on the same day, SABC News reported.

Rest of the top 10 nations

With all the results, upsets, surprises, twists, and turns in from this past weekend's action, South Africa remains number one, according to the rankings released by World Rugby on Monday.

New Zealand lies in second position, with England trailing closely behind in third, thanks to a slight improvement.

Ireland claims fourth place, with France and Australia swapping places to occupy positions five and six, respectively. Scotland, Wales, Argentina, and Japan round off the top 10.

Who is Jannie du Plessis? Age, children, wife, brother, height, profiles, worth

In related news, Briefly News previously reported that Springboks legend Jannie du Plessis recently suffered a significant loss.

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During his birthday celebrations on 16 November 2021, his young son drowned in a swimming pool.

The family has asked for their privacy during their mourning period, but an official statement was released on Wednesday to confirm his passing.

The Springboks prop has had a successful rugby career playing for his country. Of his 70 Tests, the Springboks won 48, lost 20, and drew 2 for a win percentage of 70%.

Jan was born in Bethlehem, South Africa, on 16 November 1982 to Francois and Jo-Anne.

He is the older brother of Springbok hooker Bismarck, and he attended Grey College before graduating with a medical degree from the University of the Free State.