Cape Town - The Springboks have jumped two spots in the official World Rugby rankings after beating England in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

South Africa's series-clinching win was enough to see them move from No 7 to No 5 on the rankings.

The Boks gain a fraction under three-quarters of a rating point for the victory, with Scotland also overtaken following their one point loss to the resurgent USA.

South Africa's latest confirmed position cleared up some confusion after reports over the weekend indicated that they could surge to No 3 in the rankings with a win over England, according to World Rugby's CEO Brett Gosper.

England, meanwhile, moved slipped down to sixth spot following their fifth Test defeat in a row. It's their lowest position since March 2016.

Wales, who beat Argentina 30-12 in Sana Fe to claim a 2-0 series win, also moved up two spots to No 3.

The Welsh, who started the year ranked seventh, are still some way adrift of second-place Ireland, who levelled their series with Australia with a 26-21 win in Melbourne. The Six Nations champions pick up 1.15 rating points to move to 89.20, three-and-a-quarter points more than their Celtic rivals.

New Zealand still sit proudly at the top, on 93.99 points, after seeing off 14-man France 26-13 in Wellington.

Top 20 in the current World Rugby rankings:

1. New Zealand 93.99
2. Ireland 89.20
3. Wales 85.94
4. Australia 85.41
5. South Africa 84.65
6. England 84.35
7. Scotland 81.83
8. France 79.10
9. Fiji 78.51
10. Argentina 76.73
11. Japan 74.20
12. Georgia 74.18
13. Italy 72.56
14. Tonga 71.88
15. USA 71.39
16. Romania 68.25
17. Samoa 68.24
18. Uruguay 65.37
19. Russia 64.89
20. Spain 63.09

The @qantaswallabies can take second place off @IrishRugby in @WorldRugby Rankings if they claim a 2-0 series lead this weekend. Either @Springboks or @EnglandRugby could climb to 3rd with a win...if @IrishRugby win. #WorldRugbyRankings

— Brett Gosper (@brettgosper) June 15, 2018