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Ireland up to fourth in world rankings at expense of defeated English

Win in final Six Nations game ensures Ireland are top northern hemisphere side, according to the IRB.

WHEN IRELAND BEAT England at the new Lansdowne Road on Saturday, they not only denied the visitors a Grand Slam, they also leapfrogged them in the IRB’s world rankings.

Declan Kidney’s men ended their stuttering RBS Six Nations championship with a flourish by beating the visitors 24-8 at the Aviva Stadium. In the process they took over their position of fourth in the latest IRB World Rankings.

The victory, which secured third place in the final standings, sees the Irish climb above both champions France and England to become the leading northern hemisphere nation in the rankings below the Tri-Nations giants of New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.

Kidney’s men trail world champions South Africa by just under four rating points. England slip to fifth, while France drop to sixth despite their comfortable win over Wales in Paris. Warren Gatland’s men are seventh, with Scotland ninth and the resurgent Italy still in 12th.

See the full list of rankings here | Ireland v England: how it happened | The game in pictures