The All Blacks remain the top ranked team in rugby while the Springboks have fallen to fifth in the latest World Rugby rankings.
South Africa, second in the previous rankings, failed to register a win during the Rugby Championship, finishing last with three defeats. Ireland have moved into second place after a victory over Wales in the weekend while Australia jumped from fifth to third following Saturday's Rugby Championship clincher over the All Blacks.
The new rankings mean the top two teams in the world could face off in the quarter-finals of next month's World Cup. The All Blacks are expected to top pool C, and would face the runner-up of pool D (likely France or Ireland) at the Millennium Stadium on October 18.
Argentina, the All Blacks' first opponents at the World Cup, are ranked eighth.
Full rankings
1 All Blacks - 92.72
2 Ireland - 86.89
3 Australia - 86.84
4 England - 85.40
5 South Africa - 84.37
6 Wales - 82.94
7 France - 79.74
8 Argentina - 79.17
9 Fiji - 77.04
10 Tonga - 75.25
