Which Teams Get a Pass in 2024? Who Underperformed?

[@mikecahill3989]

A Shout out to the Zimbabwean Rugby Team who went unbeaten this year.

[@clibo1]

I love these many tight score games nowadays in Test Rugby. Key moments mean more and the Springboks really nailed that part. Rassie also allowing young players to get that winning mentality from the old dogs is brilliant. I really like the addition of Tony Brown's and Flannery to an already strong caching team. Yeah great year 👏👏

[@hansielategan969]

I would give the Pumas an A as well. I think if you look at expectations at the the year and the scalps they managed to claim, it has to be a big win in the season overall.

[@pedrofedericohegoburu6788]

Pumas is the team that won most rating points during 2024 in the Top Ten.

[@Luic1987]

If they had managed to beat one out of France and Ireland I probably would have, but with 0/2 there it probably just about drops them from an A- to a B+. Also the loss at home to Australia, even if they made amends the following game emphatically, should not have happened on where they both are currently, and with that in mind B is fair.

[@thabisos2113]

No offence but it's an F for Wales for me, no wins at all for the whole 2024 so they can't get the same marks as England and Japan

[@bradnaude2334]

True , E for Japan and F for Wales

[@jbmboy]

@@bradnaude2334 Japan were second in Pacific Cup which counts as something.

[@Malky24]

The thing about Scotland is I'm still seeing us making the same mistakes we've been making for years. The discipline, the brain fades, the mistakes. The better teams eliminate these quickly but we've been making the same mistakes over and over for years. That's why we're not going to win anything.

[@littlejohn2708]

Wales should really have an 'E' as they were very far below Tier-1 status.

[@GregBecker]

They deserve the same rating as England...

[@Jimi4256]

@@GregBecker they really dont

[@HeidiLandRover]

Argentina get a B+ I reckon. For me they are now a genuine contender in any game; I would expect them to give England (my side) a proper workout. We now have a top 4 (Boks, France, ABs, Ireland) and a second 5 (Pumas, Scotland, England, Italy, Aus), then tier 2 (which unfortunately includes Wales). Great video as always.

[@ricotalactea]

Based on results, maybe a top 5 (SA, IRE, FRA, NZ, ARG)

[@ad2040]

I think an imperial measure works better, top dozen divided half and half.

[@ricotalactea]

@@ad2040 so.. Let's just agree test rugby is more competitive now

[@ad2040]

@@ricotalactea @ricotalactea Agreed. I looked at the rankings, there are now 3 in the 90s, 6 in the 80s and 6 in the 70s. In 2019 2 in the 90s, 5 in the 80s and 8 in the 70s. in 2015 1 in the 90s, 5 in the 80s and 9 in the 70s.

[@footyfin]

Five weeks ago I would not have given the Wallabies a pass mark ..... But now I am willing to do that 🧐😉

[@vrmememaster]

Definitely agree. I was really impressed by them at the end of the year but i also expected their year to go as it did. They are rebuilding and i think there is a clear positive growth

[@Ophelia771]

Never bet against Joe Schmidt. We still like him very much here in Ireland.

[@josepostable]

Agree, just love that you choose the Pumas shirt having 10 teams to choose, good year 4 Los Pumas, buy yeah , probably if they didnt have thoose bad performances after a pretty win, or if they won that narrow loses ... Desiring more consistency, but pride of this first Contepomi's seasson

[@alphaomegon3683]

France had a very difficult start of the year but raised its game up well before the autumn internationals. The two matches at the end of the 6 nations were quite good, against Wales and England. Even if without Dupont. What was different then ? Second row with Flament and Meafou back to fitness. I look forward to the next 6 nations and the away match in Lonsdowne road. I think the French team intends to make a statement there.

[@wot4922]

Yeah, we'd all like to see France put on a brilliant performance given their attitude. You'd think that they'd won everything always. The Top 14 is most important to them not international tests so let's see. Still contend they allegedly bought an award for DuPont and the 7s Coach ( name escapes me).

[@tadiwanashemkonto4124]

Love the content as always! I wondered what about making a video about the lesser known countries on the rise eg. the Netherlands who have gone up rankings, and my favorite -Zimbabwe who If I am correct actually had an unbeaten season and won the Rugby African Men's Cup 2024 with an eye to try qualify for the next world cup.

[@ricardofox1497]

Add Portugal, Georgia, Chile....

[@peadarr]

Did the NZRU hustle Ireland? I feel like when they announced the Autumn test it was gonna be the opening game for both sides and then suddenly the All Blacks are cruising in after a couple of solid warm ups against Japan and England

[@skibbitybopmdada]

Ireland could have scheduled some warm-ups?

[@EGM534]

Ireland are just bob the build ups this year and haven't progressed

[@liamwilliams6651]

​@@skibbitybopmdada And how could they with the URC still on just a week beforehand?

[@SmcdMcd-d2k]

@@skibbitybopmdada yeah you can’t just schedule warm-ups because you feel like it you need the stadium first of all and Aviva Stadium is used for more than just rugby it’s used for several different things, including concerts and football games and even American football has a college game there during the summer it’s not really free all the time and Croke park sure as hell won’t let them in whenever they want

[@SmcdMcd-d2k]

@@EGM534 having progressed how long a second didn’t they go to South Africa? Beat the current world champions while also keeping them trial? Liss didn’t they come back? And yeah they lost in New Zealand but they also won three out of there for autumn series and didn’t they also win the six nations with triple digit points difference, I’m not sure that is not progressing

[@FG-ul6yi]

Will we see a return of the depth chart videos? Love those - very stats driven.

[@quadswithmods]

Content idea- number of players used by the big teams this year

[@charlottescott7150]

He does great Depth chart reviews for each team which are great.

[@williebauld1007]

C is fair for Scotland, Townsend isn't the man to get us to take that next step forward, we are in danger of squandering a very talented generation by keeping him on!

[@douglaswright2143]

Very thought provoking, Mark. The point I would like to make is that a 4 tier list seeks a little unusual and counter inituitive to me, I tend to think in terms of 3 tiers, a kind of traffic light system, but that being said, it makes things a little more interesting, particularly relating to the teams in the third "could do better" tier. Whilst typing this I have become aware that I tend to be judging teams at this moment in time and considering their potential trajectory over the next year and in the case of the "could do betters", I think there is maybe something brewing. This position is subjective, rather than objective, but my eye test suggests England will be a force to be reckoned with, have a settled , balanced back line and midfield, x factor out wide and an impressive pack and seem to have developed a way of playing. They ran the ABs close ,could have wiped the floor with the Aussies and can front up to SA. The problem for England seems to be depth in the front row, but that is a case for all of the world apart from SA. Scotland are a delight, with a genuinely world class backline (there is an argument that should go en masse on the Lions tour), but lack the grunt to regularly hurt the top teams (apart from our neighbours). I cannot see Scotland achieving more than 3rd place in the 6 nations, both France and Ireland have too much up front (although I have a nagging thought that Ireland nay have peaked). The ABs are in an uncomfortable position of not being the best team in the world, but the pack, particularly at set pieces has improved. A worrying thought is that they have played close to their full potential and yet still came up well short of SA on an off day twice. The ship appears to have steadied, but the team appears to be pretty as it would have been and I see little of the Razor revolution (maybe evolution is enough, but I am not so sure)

[@vernonmoodaley7858]

The abovementioned thesis are not profound.

[@Sentz89]

Cheers for the rankings mark. Been a hearty season and tough games to grind. All losses should’ve been put away but it is what it is when it comes to the 80. It was good that it was not far margins of loss with fresh players on debut who fronted up in the big games, new coach and staff and leaders who still front consistently on that level. Looking forward to what 2025 has to offer for our boyz and where we are heading. Have a great festive time with the family to close out 2024 mate. Next year we write the books again💪🏉

[@michelgehin5284]

Great conversation. I get that this grading is over the whole year, but looking at the end of the year, you can see some teams can be hopeful for 2025: I'd say Australia, England and France will be starting next year stronger than they started 2024. Maybe the ABs too. South Africa very impressive and show the standard to reach for the others. It's not easy to follow a world cup win with a strong year but they have done it, in style. Well done Rassie and his players.

[@karunabhardwaj4919]

Hi Mark - as an Irishman I would agree with your B for Ireland. Probably an A- for the first half of the year and a C+ for the autumn so an average of a B is fair. But the trend is worrying. Think you were harsh on England - think a C more appropriate.

[@ColinGrealy]

It’s wild that in a year where Ireland won the second 6N in a row, drew a series in SA, we give Ireland a B (which I agree with). It just shows the level of expectation that is on this team. If you compare Irelands 2024 to South Africa, on paper they’re really close. Both won their respective competitions (6N and TRC), but lost a game they weren’t expected to. They drew in the series and both won 3 games in November. Ok, Ireland lost to NZ, but conversely, the Boks didn’t play Ireland or France. But the Boks just look that much sharper.

[@Ophelia771]

Yeah, the expectation is so high. But listening to people comment from outside the country is a good antidote to the doom merchants. Sure, we have plenty to work on and improve. A few countries would love to have our "10 problem"

[@Luic1987]

A lot of people who state they feel Ireland have peaked, give the implicit impression that in their view Ireland will drop down to being a top 7 or 8 team for the next few years. That seems a bit too fanciful even with a rebuild due, and a think on strategy of adapting the multiphase play where it feels on some level we've become worked out by other coaches. But for me, even in struggle Ireland would only be the 4th of the current big four teams. The gap is quite big to the others. The ceiling to bridge that exists for Arg / Eng / Sco to be potentially there, but it looks still a few years off, and by then the rebuild phase for Ireland should also be complete. The four regions are still relatively strong in the URC too, even with Munster's recent wobbles.

[@jackconway7961]

I would give the pumas an A and the all blacks a B. Considering the ab coaching changes and the pumas had one of the best years in their history

[@janhenning4678]

From south africa, 🎉good show

[@logophile]

You are correct, Scotland should be at least third in 6N. The ABs were on an upward towards the end, thought they have improved over the past months. Same with Oz. BTW, really enjoy all your vids, including 2c on Tour. Hoping for the best for Gazza. I really enjoy his insights and, of course, yours.

[@relpmat]

What a tragedy it was to not have a France Vs South Africa game this year. That quarterfinal game at the world cup was so epic I was dying to see it again.

[@kaimaiiti]

Japan comfortably beat the Maori All Blacks in one of their 2 tests earlier this season, doesn't that count for something?

[@qcsorter4626]

I think England are quite close to making a breakthrough. They just need a win against one of the top teams to gain confidence. The 6 Nations is looking quite mouthwatering at this stage!

[@Luic1987]

England are the wild card in next year's competition for sure. They're the only ones realistically who you feel could finish as high as first or as low as fifth (sorry Wales). The range for the others without a big upset is 1 to 3 for Ire and Fra, 2 to 4 for Sco, and 3 to 5 for Ita. And Wales 6 to 6 sadly, especially where the Italy game is in Rome.

[@Kvlvt]

Good year Two Cents,keep it coming 😅

[@JewbacosTacos]

I would give Argentina an A-

[@EclecticInstinct]

A fair ranking. A few years ago, sharing the same rank as the Aussies and the Kiwis would have had this Scot well chuffed. Now, not so much but it was our inconsistency throughout the year that earned us the C. I believe that all three teams will perform better in 2025.

[@anthonyblackhurst5846]

Always enjoy your show. thanks.

[@benjaminmuller9473]

Love vids like this mark, leker week mate!

[@JACKSLATER-d3r]

Spot on bro with the 2024 rankings 🤔🙂🎅

[@jjvanwyk7037]

Pretty good analysis.

[@DrKimMuntanga]

England is a C for me ABs are B the Wales are E then the rest I also agree.

[@iainbeattie2970]

Scotland is a talented squad with a very poor coach - expect the same this year as we battle for 3/4 place with England

[@CH-yp5by]

C for the Aussies is fair

[@charlottescott7150]

Thanks Mark

[@ricardofox1497]

Very objective. After July 2025 there shoild be a substantial change: I would predict AU, WA and ITA to improve. The rest would hold their places.

[@TeeJy145]

I do not see us challenging for the RWC, for a few reasons: Razor seems to think that Richie will be our knight in shining armor. I do not know what Rieko/Jordie has on him but we are not getting close to a RWC victory with them in the midfield. Our attacking shape relies too heavily on getting the ball to the outside whereas RSA plays a similar shape but they vary it by going in straight and sometimes the 10 takes it to the line. So they have at least 3 options in attack causing the defense to hesitate because they are not sure where the point of contact will be. There is this myth that NZ is not producing as much talent in all positions as they did in previous years but I think that myth was quickly dispelled, for example at 10: Plummer/Perofeta/ Love/ Jacomb and Rico Simpson (he is very young but he has shown that he can wear the black 10 jersey. But Razor plays with a 10 that is actually just a 15 that can play 10 and one that will be 37 come Australia 2027 and as previously mentioned he is chasing a guy that won him 7 Super titles but one that cost us a RWC victory by missing a crucial conversion! I can say a lot more but I will see how we fair next year.

[@georgemostert4874]

Spot on

[@pietsmit5587]

I feel that next years 6N will deliver a few surprises ...as a Saffa i back Scotland to cause a few upsets

[@Zveebo]

Fair for Scotland, though I do think it’s a bit of a C+ this time as the France game should have been a win but for a dodgy ref decision, and all the other losses were at least decently close games. But you can’t lose to Italy (and almost Wales) and not see it as a disappointing year.

[@ColinGrealy]

Scotland should have beaten France, but not because of that last minute decision, because of the previous 80. They had so many opportunities to end that game.

[@logophile]

I am pro Western-Hemisphere! Go Argentina! Those Puma jerseys are pretty smart-looking, too.

[@randomlyfactual1943]

Boks get a D And it stands for DEFENCE!!!! 💪🏻

[@johanjacobs9240]

It feels so lonely at the top.😆🙃🤣 Go Bokke!!!

[@Waywind420]

Bok are good but they are not as good as you think. All Blacks team were rebuilding with a new coach who had zero international coaching experience and they had to play both matches against the boks *in South Africa* In a 15 vs 15 game (no red cards to either team) the Boks have only managed to win against New Zealand 2 times on NZ soil and 2 times on Neutral soil since the year 2000. That aint great.

[@JosephWeber-c1z]

And ​@@Waywind420

[@Alias-gy3tz]

@@Waywind420 The Springboks have new coaches too. We lost Jacques and Felix Jones. The Boks also gave a lot more players a chance this year than any other team. They used 51 players, made on average 9 changes to the team from game to game, tested a new game plan, and won 11/13 games whist doing so. As for the "15 vs 15" remark, it's not the Springboks fault when their opponents can not play within the laws. The Boks also received cards, quite a bit, in fact.

[@Waywind420]

@@Alias-gy3tz I agree with you on most points, but the last part where you blame the kiwis for ''not playing within the rules'' is just wrong. The rules are not perfectly applied, each referee has their own idea of what is allowable and not allowable and in every single game there are probably 10 red card offenses going down that either don't get seen or get blatantly ignored, most of those being slightly high contact. If your teams success is based on the ''luck of the referee' it's not very convincing. With the new rule changes I don't expect the Springboks will be able to coast to easy wins over 14-man teams anymore, and next year they will not have back to back home games against a rebuilding All Blacks to boost their confidence with.

[@Alias-gy3tz]

@@Waywind420 Whatever dude, like I said, play within the laws.

[@shamenbilly]

As an irish guy id give us a pass......but i had to think about it

[@joshhunter1129]

As I Scot I completely agree, the 6N was a huge disappointment. We were in every game and couldn’t close it out, though, I do think we actually beat France, to me, that was a try at the end and I wonder how different things work out. Do we lose to Italy when we’re still on for the slam? (I do think we lose to Ireland still) but potentially 4 wins from 5, and only loss away to Ireland, then a blood the newbies Summer tour and a largely successful November. But if and buts, we weren’t given the try, and then capitulated against Italy. I think this team on paper isn’t far away. And if we keep saying it they need to be graded that way. It think it’s more respectful to grade them harsh because you think they’re close.

[@GaryTuohy]

Refreshing to see an analyst not pump the AB's. Everyone seems to have forgotten the Argentina game.

[@johanschoeman869]

The All Black supporters are fantastic when they are in the acendancy however some of their supporters and in particular the pundits find themselves in relatively unfamiliar teritoty when the All Blacks are on the back foot. I find this fasinating because i thought the same is true to only the Springboks and their supporters. For my money the All blacks get a B+ with a very positive outlook. At this stage all the negative opinions and comments about Razor is doing more harm than good. Only a fool will downrate the All Blacks. I look forward to another great year for the Springboks and in particular our games against the old foe. Cannot wait.

[@nepiahemopo1702]

Oh c'mon! Razor is a C coach. A fake A plus coach.

[@gertkriel6080]

Would give the Boks a b- simply for loosing to Argentina.. because we play a 10 that can’t kick.. Almost all the close games we loose.. guess who plays at 10.. Tnx for great vid!

[@benvandermerwe4934]

Breakfast break. 🇿🇦

[@7knuzz]

You have just really talked yourself out of a B for Italy. I'm not having them above Scotland 😊

[@ryanlawlor7862]

A D was very generous for Wales

[@garethroberts6988]

Wallabies were almost an E last year, so big improvement this year

[@Bolognabeef]

I don't understand why nobody seems to understand what an achievement Italy's win over Scotland was. The same goes from the other perspective, how underperforming Scotland's full team with VDM was against Italy, meanwhile most people interested just focus on the wales game...

[@sportingplayerfacts214]

Do you think the Average Age for the “New” Boks is lower than the current one If you only Focus on the 52 Player used their Average?

[@D4N1CU5]

A D is a bit harsh for the English, they've consistently played well, just haven't quite got there. Took the ABs close *IN* NZ *twice*, lost to the wobs in the 84th minute, after fighting back into the match multiple times, to a possible nominee for next year's try of the year. Think the wobs have over performed, at least for my expectations. Was genuinely thinking we might come out of the northern tour with 0 wins, including a couple of floggings.

[@nsd_respect]

“Close” doesn’t cut it. 7 losses in 12 is not good enough.

[@D4N1CU5]

@@nsd_respect I mean the wobs have 7 losses out of 13 for the year, so 46% vs 41% for England, including getting flogged by Argentina. England beat Ireland when the Wobs didn't. Do you think the wobs were scored too easily here, because it seems like they've had pretty similar seasons.

[@Zveebo]

Ultimately England are by far the richest nation in rugby - losing to all of Scotland, Australia, New Zealand (x2), South Africa, France can’t be regarded as anything less than a pretty disappointing year. The sole positive result was the Irish game.

[@kobuslouw9533]

Maybe a bit harsh on the AB's? I understand Kiwi lvl of expectation but considering you are rebuilding and looked much improved from RC to Autumn nations. No shame in losing 2 very close games against the Boks at home. France (no 2 in the world imo) 1 point loss on their turf. The only inexcusable loss was to Arg at home. But then again, Arg prop stronger than they have ever been.

[@T2Lam10]

I agree with that statement. Can’t see how he can give France a B and NZ a C, and I’m French. They should be judged similarly and just imagine the ABs drawing vs Italy at home… the tide wave it would be. I would have given NZ a B- (just got the game vs Argentina) and us a C. The 6 nations was was too awful for more than a C, and World Cup hangover should not be an excuse. Real issue is that without Dupont we are trash.

[@EGM534]

Did you watch the game vs Italy, I don't think we've improved at all this year. The last game was worse for us than the first game

[@kobuslouw9533]

@@EGM534 I did, not great but still the W. Maybe just a little underestimating Italy?

[@EGM534]

Samoa beat them and they had 50 put on them by Argentina. This was our closet to 1st choice we could field. I think maybe the emotion of Cane and TJs last games maybe put them under too much pressure trying to push the next pass or whatever too much, but just last year we put 90 on them

[@kobuslouw9533]

​@@EGM534 Yeah but that was NZ during world cup year. The best Fozzy had to offer after 4 years with the ABs and you bloody came close to winning the WC. Italy a different level this year + you just came off 2 big games vs France and Ireland. Last test of the year, fatigue maybe? You're rebuilding mate, with a coach who had his first introduction to test rugby this year. Missing Smith and Mo'unga for sure. But give a little slack. Razor going to lose all his hair before 2027 if you guys go on like this

[@petewisdom1984]

Marks being kind to Japan and Wales by not including any tiers below "D"

[@jonwalter1533]

If your thinking about how good teams should be the All Blacks would always be S tier, but then if you're also ranking them on expectations it would have to be a D year, a demotion for each loss down to D! So Bs and Cs about right alround!

[@Evan8787]

Springboks are the easy A. They are the undisputed best team in the world right now. The AB should be #2. Wales deserve an F.

[@johnsutcliffe794]

I really like your shows Mark but if you are looking back on all of 2024 you should be graading on results against expections. Yes maybe Ireland didnt live up to last years Standards , but they had a decent year results wise, but they had a good year and are ranked no 2 in the World. We lost only one point to SA away and then beat them in SA, lost only one game in Six Nations one point to England in Twickers. Then a rusty Ireland side lost to a good All Blacks side a few weeks back. We retained our 6N title and beat Strong SA away. We have the same grade as Fiji who did well, but we beat them easily 2 weeks ago? Doesnt add up for me 😊

[@Alias-gy3tz]

Ireland lost to the Springboks by 7 points at Loftus, not 1. The Springboks lost by 1 point in Durban.

[@johnsutcliffe794]

@ yes sorry I meant to say one score. No problem with SA we love playing them and they are without doubt the best team in the World.

[@JosephFallon]

Mark I think you should take As, Bs, Cs and Ds ... all of the vitamins and plenty of rest !

[@joshhudson7413]

Ab's at C is a bit harsh, would put them at B. You have to consider this coaching groups first season, but beating England 3 times, almost beating SA twice at home, france at home (which are insanely hard to win at), then beating Ireland at home by 10 points.

[@EGM534]

Foster never lost Boks back to back in SA and he never got a pass. Unacceptable

[@nepiahemopo1702]

C is reasonable, considering the failure of one that promised so much.

[@teuscia]

forza Italia. we've fixed the line out. we can fix the scrum. difficult to fix the up and under. hopefully scalabrin odiase ascari come up from u20. next 6N 3 wins pls.

[@pedrofedericohegoburu6788]

I think the tiers ended up being too wide. Fiji's B performance cannot be at the same level as your Pumas' B performance.

[@wlk2408]

Fiji should be included in the Rugby Championship. They are better now than what Argentina was when they joined the Rugby Championship. Joining the Rugby Championship improved the Argentinians and will do the same for Fiji. If world rugby and SANZAR are serious about growing the game they must show it and put their money where their mouth is. If Wales and Italy can play in the Six Nations then Fiji can play in the Rugby Championship.

[@ColinGrealy]

@@wlk2408 couldn’t agree more.

[@f1j11slander4]

If they were thinking about the growth of the game than that would’ve already have happened, but it’s all about how much profit they can make out of it. Hosting games in Fiji wouldn’t be as profitable as what it would be hosting matches within the current TRC nations.

[@ColinGrealy]

@@f1j11slander4 I’m not even sure it would be less profitable. I think lots of people in NZ and Aussie would love to go to Fiji for a rugby game (might be a bit far for SA).

[@f1j11slander4]

@ it’s not that, it’s the capacity of the stadiums in Fiji can hold. Fijian Drua sell out games at just over 17000 (I think), NZ can fill stadium up to 55000. There’s a big difference in numbers there.

[@wlk2408]

@f1j11slander4 It was the same for Italy in the early days. If its only about money and stadium size then the game will never grow and Fiji and the like can stop playing international rugby and just be a feeder for other nations.

[@francoisdevries1]

You win a game pretty comfortably. You don't lose one pretty comfortably 😁🤣

[@lateralus6512]

I think England have far more potental than their results suggest. They had the most disapointing season of all (based on results), but I saw eneough brillance from them that they seem dangerous to me. I think they will be a strong team come the world cup. I would not want the All Blacks to face England in a WC quarter final becuase I think it would be a roll of the dice and they could knock us out early. You heard it here first.

[@cringycook9597]

I think Ireland get a c+ with a title and drawn series against South Africa being the highlight. Been a bit flat lately.

[@JoeBloggz-x2j]

A biteen harsh.

[@mattyb3780]

Honestly considering expectations goig in australia might deserve a b.... they were challenging wales for worst tier one side going into the year and then Schmidt came and theyve steadily inproved.

[@designmanagementconsultanc4143]

Tough task master Mark!

[@tanacity9392]

My Samoa should get that S rank didnt lose a single Autumn game 😂

[@lunny2230]

Not harsh at all on the ABs. They had 4 games against the three other genuinely top tier teams and only came away with 1 win. And that was against a pretty terribly rusty looking Irish side. So not a terrible season by any stretch, but nothing really impressive either. 🤷

[@donalcoleman8793]

Ireland deserves a C. Sure, we won the 6nations, but the autumn nations was terrible rugby. We still managed to win, but the quality was not there and in recent years we expect more

[@shitstorm222]

High C for Australia and NZ imo. Low A for South Africa. Wales are a very hard D. Sorry Wales.

[@J-MQ_1956]

I like and agree with your ranking, except for Australia which in my opinion is the team that did (by far) the worst out of all those you ranked

[@Luic1987]

Worse than Wales, really? They beat them four times this year, only a year after losing to them by 34 points in the world cup. Plus their autumn was better than expectations, and they managed to beat Argentina once.

[@markosullivan6109]

Bit rough giving the ABs a C, the same as Aus, and Ireland a B

[@greenplasticgun]

Giving Aus and ABs a C is wild. ABs were better than that.

[@considerthis7712]

Not about international rankings.. der.

[@bernardliddington2633]

Especially when giving Italy a C.

[@bradnaude2334]

Its not a ranking, its a results vs expectations , A lot of all blacks fans woukd have liked to see them giving a proper hiding to some of the lower ranked teams and to hsve not lost to Argentina to get a B , then if they did that and got a win over the boks it could have been an A . Aussy would have needed to not get so many Hidings to get a B , though rugby champs is tough having to play ABs and Boks and Argentina , there should never be walkovers in the champs .

[@greenplasticgun]

@@bradnaude2334 Point being they had a 70% win rate in their first season under a new coach. Rassie's first season was like 50%. Australia had like 46% wins in 2024 and are also a C? Kiwis need to come back down to earth from that 2011-2015 team and understand that wasn't normal in terms of international rugby. That team was a blip, that team was an anomaly. That was outside norms of sport in general and you guys are going to be in a world of hurt if you expect 95% wins every year, especially with a brand new coach in place. 70% in his first year is basically an B if not higher for Razor in my book and certainly not on par with what Australia achieved this year.

[@bradnaude2334]

@greenplasticgun Ya its harsh , but definately not an A , he is just holding ABs to ABs standard .

[@myronalcock4716]

I'll vote for a A minus for the Springboks. Lose two games by one point each, while using 50+ different players during the season. Not too shabby..The minus is only there to give them something to achieve.

[@benrobinson375]

I mostly agree with your assessment, but I'd give the ABs a B. They were mediocre in the RC but in Europe they played a lot better than most people probably expected - only losing to France by a point. Australia was a tale of two halves similarly to NZ but not as good overall. Both Aus and NZ seem to be trending in the right direction.

[@Zveebo]

NZ should have pretty high expectations though - they’re the second richest side in all of rugby. Losing multiple TRC games, and to France (many points below them in the rankings) means a B grade would be extremely generous.

[@mema0005]

I just wish I could argue for Scotland to be a B, but sadly the year has been a disappointment 4th in the 6N just isn’t good enough with England and Wales in the state they are, building and tatters. I would love for them to make 2nd but it’s hard to imagine how with France and Ireland as they are. Italy are improving so that result was disappointing, but I felt worse about the Wales game, almost throwing away a 27 point lead The summer tour and Portugal are inconsequential, necessary but unimportant for the year as a whole The obvious highlights were England and Australia. But that isn’t enough for a B from me But hope springs eternal for 2025, until it kills you

[@jeanmas4197]

Wales got a Z?

[@shaunmahon3415]

How can you give us a "C" when we only lost 4 games all year, 3 were expected losses, the only poor one was against Italy where we threw it away. Oh and we should have beaten one of the big guns if the TMO had done his job properly against France, there is clear evidence the ball was grounded right at the end so that one still annoys me 🙄🙄🙄. I'd say we should be a "B" but I do agree with you in that we need to start showing our true potential before too long because fans are starting to turn on Gregor Townsend (wrongly btw) so we really need to target a very strong 6Ns where we at least challenge for the title if not the grand slam 🙄.

[@alphaomegon3683]

When you talk about Scotland’s try against France in the 6 nations, a try that you think should have been validated, you forget that Finn Russel was totally off side when contesting the ball and then getting it from the French full back

[@willemsteyn7808]

Wales should get a FF

[@EliJon378]

The Fiji Ireland game was a disgusting spectacle from World Rugby, the ref and all the assistant referees were a disgrace. Fiji was never going to win, everyone knew this, but the ref was just terrible. I think Fiji would've faired much better had there been better officiating. I also felt the ref played to the home ground crowd, some of the booing from the Irish fans was just ridiculous, do they even understand the laws?! Took home town advantage to new levels in this one, and it was disgusting.

[@Formakiwi]

In Japan's case, it's a catalogue of failures by the JRU and pig-headed self-interest by the Japanese RL1 clubs that's seen them fall from grace since 2019: much like the English RFU, American MLR and French Rugby Federation, the national union remain at the mercy of privately owned clubs when it comes to the training and development of their players, and in Japan there remains a significant gulf between their objectives. The lack of co-operation and collapse of the Sunwolves hurt Jamie Joseph's world cup preparation in '23, with an accordingly poor showing being the inevitable outcome. Eddie Jones's reappointment, and his characteristic bulldozer approach, look like condemning them once again to second-tier status, a sad relegation of a team that had shown so much promise and played some truly sparkling rugby in recent years.

[@josecastel7163]

No French comments? I wonder why?

[@VincentOram]

You need 5 categories. England played better than Wales I reckon.

[@mfp4136]

I thought the Boks used 51 players this season

[@Alias-gy3tz]

They did.

[@codepuncher]

Bokke get A+ Rugby hall of fame should add `Rugby Coach` England without Smith would be more boring to watch than Ecuador. Thanks for the memories @ Sam Cane DMac best flyhalf. Yeah right. Eddie Jones. Someone needs to check that guys meds. Scotland. Add a few more SA players and you`ll be top 4. Wales - don`t change you will be fine. But defo `see ya later` Gats Schmidt - awesome job. Farrell - Good luck with the Lions job. Pity your son is a complete prick. Hey I have one of those too. Two Cents - keep it up man. Great stuff.

[@april-tui3524]

Boks, Pumas and Aussie A’s. All Blacks an F for continuing to select a player after his SECOND arrest for violent behaviour. There’s your answer for why people like me keep mentioning him aye, they don’t change Mark and as I predicted, he is still a drunk.

[@considerthis7712]

Where is P, pass ?

[@davidpearn2484]

Mark can you skip past cymru 😢.

[@anthonyblackhurst5846]

Italy cplus

[@xxwales15xx33]

Would have been nice if you'd have skipped us lol

[@SVAgxlxxi]

usa deserved a d+ / c-

[@chadmaree7674]

The fact Rassie isn't coach of the year is crazy

[@Zveebo]

Ah yes, the famous Russie 👍

[@EGM534]

Why what did he do? And don't say won trc because that was a standard year for Foster and he was nowhere close to winning coach of the year lmao

[@chadmaree7674]

@EGM534 He did a few things 1) Had the highest winning % 2) Used the most amount of players to build depth 3) Won a perfect Northern Tour 4) Won the rugby Championship 5) Incorporated innovative tactics and unique plays for each test

[@EGM534]

​@@chadmaree7674 the guy that won coach of the year won a gold medal. All those things listed are standard for abs and we don't win it lol. Except the depth thing, Boks insane depth

[@markbph2336]

how good were the boks this year.....???? 😊😊 so much depth.... goodcto see the aussies trending in the right directuon. this is good for nz rugby....! england are also trending in the right direction. they remind me of aus under dave rennie..... improving, competative with narrow losses.

[@WillievanZyl]

Dude, Argentina deserves an A. Probably their best year in a while, despite the hot/cold issue.

[@ColinGrealy]

It depends on whether your ranking is subjective or objective. It might be their best year, but an A would be winning TRC.

[@louisfourie800]

Thanks for all the content. Greatly appreciate it. Imo if there is a team that deserves an A its argentina. They have always been a 1 day on 1 day off team, but winnig 3 of the top 4 teams in 1 year is insane for them. SA I would give a B. That game against Ireland made that an A is impossible. We lost at home. As a south african I couldnt care less about the argentina loss, infact made some nice money out of that one. But the Ireland game in Durban could not have been a lost.

[@kobuslouw9533]

Don't think Arg is an A. They are kind of like Boks 2022 - Can beat any team on their day. But inconsistent, win one, lose one against top sides. Disagree about Boks being B. We lost by 1 point vs Ire, from 2x very late drop goals (credit to Ire) But that was also our first series against a top side with whole new attack coach. Rassie had the kahunas to just send it and not be conservative against a very anticipated series vs Ireland. They were our first real Tony Brown test.