World Rugby Removes Home Weighting from Rankings
World Rugby has announced a significant change to its world rankings system, scrapping the home weighting element from July 1 for both men's and women's rankings. The move has immediate implications for Wales and every other international side.
Since the rankings were introduced, teams playing at home have effectively been given an additional three ranking points to reflect home advantage. This meant victories on home soil were worth less than wins achieved away from home. However, World Rugby says the international landscape has changed dramatically, with more matches staged at neutral venues or in countries that are not the home nation of either team.
Officials believe the existing system can unfairly penalise teams designated as the home side despite not enjoying any meaningful home advantage. The governing body pointed to examples including Fiji playing Nations Championship fixtures in the UK and Japan, while several other international competitions are now held at centralised venues worldwide. Wales play Fiji at Cardiff City Stadium next month, but the fixture is actually Fiji's home match.
Impact on Wales and Global Rankings
The rankings remain a crucial measure in international rugby, helping determine World Cup seedings and influencing how teams are viewed heading into major tournaments. Wales currently sit outside the game's leading nations in 11th after a difficult period in the men's rankings.
World Rugby believes removing home weighting will create a fairer and more accurate system that better reflects the modern international game. The new formula comes into effect from the start of next month.
Regan Grace Gives Career Another Shot
Wales wing Regan Grace insists he has not given up hope of playing professional rugby again after his latest injury setback. The 29-year-old suffered a third Achilles rupture in four years while at Sale Sharks last season. Grace was one of the most prolific finishers in rugby league during his time at St Helens before moving over to union and suffering a series of cruel injuries.
He admits he was on the brink of quitting but hasn't given up yet. "I just felt that I had to retire," he told the BBC. "I thought that nobody would want me, but some of the staff at Sale told me not to think like that just yet, that I had to just get myself fit and go from there. I knew what was ahead of me and that made me wonder if it was worth going through it all again. It's not just you putting your body through it all, it affects everyone around you, so should I pack it in? It's dark at times because I just want to be part of things all the time."
Grace played and scored for Wales in an uncapped fixture against the Queensland Reds in 2024 and is confident he can get back to his best. "It's a bit of an addiction because the feeling of playing and scoring is something that you want to keep experiencing again and again," he told the BBC. "One day I will be too old to even think about doing it again, so that's why I am giving it everything to come back. I am confident I will get back to my best. I have rehabbed with some of the best in the world and know what I need to do and where I need to get myself."
Emotional Furbank Says Goodbye to Northampton
George Furbank signalled the start of Northampton's Gallagher Premiership title celebrations after Exeter were edged 26-17 in a tense Allianz Stadium final. Saints wasted a host of chances against a Chiefs side who defended ferociously, but their class eventually shone through, with George Hendy's try double in the final quarter proving the difference.
It was Furbank's last appearance for the club before joining Harlequins next season, and the England full-back admitted to conflicting emotions at the final whistle. Northampton captain Furbank said: "It was a mix of relief, happiness, sadness – all just merged into one. It was a different feeling to the last time we won it in 2024. We're going to have a good few days now to celebrate and I'm sure it'll all sink in. It's been a pretty emotional few weeks. I've got a bit of learning to do because I felt pretty drained coming into this game because of the emotion. I tried to stay away from it as much as possible but it's tough when it's your last game for a club that means so much to you. It's been one hell of a journey."
