The Zimbabwe Sables made some gains on World Rugby rankings after claiming a ticket to the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup in Australia —their first appearance since 1991.
In a thrilling Rugby Africa Men’s Cup final held at Mandela National Stadium in Uganda, the Sables narrowly defeated fierce rivals Namibia, clinching the continental crown and solidifying their place as Africa’s second-highest-ranked team, behind South Africa.
This victory propelled Zimbabwe up two spots to 24th in the global standings, seeing them leapfrog both Canada and Namibia.
Namibia, on the other hand, dropped two places to 27th following their defeat.
While the Sables celebrate their historic rise, other African teams have experienced shifts in the rankings.
The Kenya Simbas, unfortunately, slipped two places from 33rd to 35th after their 15-5 loss to Algeria in the third-place playoff, now holding 50.09 ranking points and being overtaken by Czechia and Germany.
Meanwhile, Algeria made the most significant jump of the week, surging 10 places to 43rd, fueled by their second consecutive victory over the Kenya Simbas.
Senegal also saw a notable improvement, moving up six places to 45th.
Conversely, Morocco dropped three places to 40th, and Uganda, after finishing seventh in the Rugby Africa Cup, slipped to 50th in the rankings.
