The month of November is the last chance for many nations to improve their position in the IRB World Rankings before the end of the year and in 2009 this again proved the case with all bar Australia in the top moving up or down at some stage over the 30 days.
Australia may not have had the most successful of years with only one win - albeit over eventual champions South Africa - in the Tri Nations and then a first loss to Scotland in 27 years during November, but the Wallabies are one of only three sides to remain constant all year, the others being Luxembourg and Finland in the bottom two places in the rankings.
The coveted top spot was occupied by New Zealand at the turn of the year, just as it had been going into 2009. However the All Blacks had slipped to second after suffering the first of three Tri Nations losses to South Africa in late July, ending their 11-month reign as the number one side in the world.
South Africa sat proudly atop the rankings for 16 weeks, following up their series victory over the British & Irish Lions with five wins to lift the Tri Nations title and seemed set to end a successful year in that position. However, defeat by France in Toulouse saw them surrender it to the All Blacks and another loss to Ireland means South Africa now lie 3.08 points behind the top side.
Ireland's year to remember
This is only marginally better than the deficit they began 2009 with, but while the world champions are one of six sides in the top 10 to end the year in the position they began it, the biggest gainers are Ireland with their four place rise to fourth on the back of an unbeaten year and a first Grand Slam for 61 years.
The record of nine wins and one draw - 20-20 with Australia in November - earned Declan Kidney the IRB Coach of the Year 2009 accolade in his first full season, one which saw Ireland climb above France, England, Argentina and Wales and improve their rating by 6.15 points to 84.60.
This is still just over seven points adrift of number one side New Zealand, but Ireland are the leading northern hemisphere nation from France, who lost that mantle following a comprehensive loss by the All Blacks and the Irish's victory over South Africa on the final weekend of November.
France have themselves ended the year two places better off than they began it with Argentina and Wales - who had been the leading northern hemisphere nation - the only nations in the top 10 to end 2009 in a worse position following three place falls to seventh and eighth respectively.
Widening the field to the top 20 and only Georgia suffered a similar fall, down three to 17th with defeats by the lower ranked Canada and USA in the Churchill Cup cancelling out any gains by winning the European Nations Cup with an unbeaten record to lead the way in the region's qualifying process for RWC 2011.
Biggest climbers of the year
While Georgia suffered a fall, there was better news for other European nations with Israel and Bulgaria enjoying climbs of 10 places to 81st and 82nd respectively. Israel are unbeaten in Division 3C so far with four wins from four and also overcame the higher ranked Slovenia - then sitting 28 places above them - in the region's first play-off round of RWC qualifying.
Two other climbers of note in Europe were the Netherlands and Serbia, who enjoyed climbs of seven and eight places to 34th and 59th respectively. The last place gained by the Netherlands came as a result of Hong Kong's loss to Germany last month and had they managed to score another point against the Asian side themselves on 19 December then they would have climbed to 33rd.
Israel and Bulgaria, though, were not the only nations to enjoy climbs into double figures as Zimbabwe, Malaysia and Colombia also climbed 10 places. Zimbabwe are the biggest movers in Africa with their rise to 46th and an improvement of 2.45 rating points, although Senegal also climbed six places to 62nd over the last 12 months.
The majority of Malaysia's gain and new position of 68th came on the back of beating China in the HSBC Asian Five Nations. In Colombia's case, their success in the South American B Championship saw them climb eight places in two weeks in late November, early December.
Two other Asian sides on the rise were Kazakhstan, who enjoyed their highest ever ranking following victories over Korea and Hong Kong in the Top 5 during April and May, and Division I winners Arabian Gulf.
Kazakhstan end the year in 28th, six places higher than they began it, while the Arabian Gulf themselves have risen five to 44th. Japan remain the highest ranked of the Asian nations, having climbed three places over the last 12 months - helped by victories of Tonga and Canada (twice) - to their present best ever position of 13th.
The big fallers
Asia, though, does have some of the biggest fallers of the last year with Hong Kong having slid nine places to 39th, five of them on the back of defeats by Germany, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands on their first ever tour of Europe during December. Thailand also suffered a nine-place fall to 70th.
However, the biggest plummet of the year belongs to Slovenia, the European side falling 12 places to 71st. Slovenia had ended the 2008/09 European Nations Cup campaign with an unbeaten record, but losses to the lower ranked Israel, Hungary and Austria in the last six months have resulted in the slide. Sweden are another European side to end the year significantly lower than they began it after an eight place fall to 51st.
The other nation to experience a similar fall are Niue, who now lie 69th having dropped nine places after losing to the Cook Islands in the Oceania region's qualifying process for Rugby World Cup 2011. Papua New Guinea enjoyed the biggest climb in Oceania, rising three places to 49th on the back of wins over Vanuatu and the Cook Islands to earn a qualifying play-off with Samoa.
Meanwhile in South America, many of the nations ended the year where they had begun - including Chile and Uruguay - or fell like Argentina, Paraguay, Venezuela and Peru, the latter sliding six places during the South American B Championship. Only Colombia bucked the trend with their 10 place elevation over the 12 months.
There were a few more climbs among nations in North America with USA rising three places to 16th on the back of two victories over Uruguay in November to clinch their place at RWC 2011, while Trinidad & Tobago and Cayman Islands also enjoyed small gains. It was Bermuda, though, who were the region's biggest climbers in 2009, rising five places to 57th, with Barbados the biggest losers with a seven-place slide to 76th.
VIEW THE END OF 2009 RANKINGS >>
The IRB World Rankings were introduced in October 2003 and are published every Monday on
www.irb.com. They are calculated using a points exchange system in which teams take points off each other based on the match result. Whatever one team gains, the other team loses. The exchanges are determined by the match result, the relative strength of the team and the margin of victory. There is also an allowance for home advantage.
Ninety-five of the IRB's Member Unions have a rating, typically between 0 and 100 with the top side in the world usually having a rating above 90 - New Zealand's was 91.68 at the end of the November internationals. Any match that is not a full international between two countries or a Test against the Lions or Pacific Islanders does not count towards the rankings. Likewise neither does a match against a country that is not a Full Member Union of the International Rugby Board.
The IRB World Rankings will remain unchanged until the beginning of February, when the Six Nations and European Nations Cup kick off what will undoubtedly herald the start of another year of changing fortunes in the IRB World Rankings.
