France ended South Africa’s perfect record in the Nations Championship with a hard-fought 21-19 win at the Stade de France on Friday.
The result marked the fourth victory in five pool matches for Les Bleus, extending their lead in the northern hemisphere standings to six points, as reported by BBC Sport.
South Africa currently maintains the top spot in the southern hemisphere, though their position is under threat from New Zealand.
The All Blacks are scheduled to face Wales in Cardiff on Saturday, a match that could see the standings shift, according to Yahoo Sports.
England, currently in second place in the northern pool, aims to narrow the gap to France when they face Japan at Allianz Stadium on Saturday.
Steve Borthwick’s squad enters the contest following an emphatic 45-22 victory over Australia last weekend, noted the BBC.
Meanwhile, Ireland holds third place following a 42-12 win against Argentina and is preparing to host Fiji in Dublin.
Scotland remains in fourth place with two wins and two losses, with a match against Australia scheduled for Sunday at Murrayfield.
Wales, despite a recent 28-21 win over Japan, currently sits in fifth place in the northern hemisphere rankings.
The Nations Championship features teams from the Six Nations competing against southern hemisphere powerhouses and invited sides.
Teams play each of the six opponents in the opposing hemisphere once, with results determining the final rankings.
The tournament concludes with a finals weekend at Allianz Stadium from November 27-29, where the top-ranked sides will compete for the inaugural title.
France will look to secure its place in the final when they face Argentina on November 21.
The championship structure includes a parallel hemisphere title, where the first side to earn four points across the final weekend of play-offs will be crowned the winner.
This unique format ensures every match during the final phase carries significant weight for the participating nations.