All Blacks beat Argentina, return to top of rugby rankings

BRISBANE, Australia: New Zealand overtook South Africa atop the world rugby rankings and warmed up for the 100th test between the two nations with a 36-13 win over Argentina on Saturday.

The All Blacks needed to beat the Pumas by 15 points to regain the top ranking after Australia completed back-to-back wins over the World Cup champion Springboks with a 30-17 victory in the first match of the doubleheader at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.

A New Zealand lineup, containing 11 changes to the starting XV from last week’s 39-0 win over the Pumas, dominated early but had to wrestle hard in the second half to improve to 4-0 in the Rugby Championship and extend its winning streak to nine tests.