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Rugby Championship
All Blacks cement rankings lead
ESPN Staff
August 20, 2012
Dan Carter celebrates victory over Australia in Sydney
© Getty Images
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New Zealand have cemented their position at the summit of the International Rugby Board (IRB) rankings following their opening Rugby Championship win over Australia. The All Blacks are now 6.1 rankings points clear of the Wallabies thanks to their 27-19 victory in Sydney, where Israel Dagg and Cory Jane were on the scoresheet along with 17 points from Dan Carter. Defeat brought Australia back within reach of South Africa, who lurk in third place after their victory over Argentina at Newlands. The Pumas were undone on their Rugby Championship debut by tries from Zane Kirchner, Marcell Coetzee and Bryan Habana, with the Springboks now only 1.11 points off second place. Argentina remain eighth in the rankings, just over a point above Scotland. All four sides will be keen to improve further in the coming weeks given that the top four sides in the world will be seeded for December's Rugby World Cup draw. Click here for the full rankings list. © ESPN EMEA Ltd
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