Rugby World Cup power rankings: breaking down all 20 teams in Japan theguardian.com

England, Ireland, and Wales are among the throng pushing to challenge New Zealand as the World Cup enters crunch time.
1) New Zealand
Normal service has been resumed. After the surreal scenes of the All Blacks not being No 1 (Wales were, then Ireland!) they enter the quarter‑finals back at the top of the rankings, rated by the bookies as twice as likely to win the tournament as the second favorites. Don’t be so sure. It goes without saying they remain the best when on form, but that canceled game might well be more of a hindrance to them than anyone, given that their last meaningful fixture will have been four weeks before their quarter‑final against Ireland. At least Italy would have been semi-meaningful. These All Blacks are not invincible at the best of times. Current world ranking: 1

2) England
The same concerns apply to England. Nobody should be under any illusion that the canceled game will help them. Their draw had been perfect, a series of Tests neatly escalating in difficulty. But when the fourth rung was removed, quite a leap was created to a quarter-final with Australia. Otherwise, England are in good shape. Defense remains a big question mark, but defence is so 2007. Only Wales seem to bother with it these days. In attack, England are as threatening as anyone. Off-the-cuff counterattacking remains the specialty of the All Blacks, but England has developed a variety of ways to undo defenses, including at the start of games when everyone is fresh and there are no excuses. Current world ranking: 3