Rankings explanation and notes

Each team is initially given 50 points. After each game 5% of the points of the losing team are transferred to the winner. (If the game is drawn, 2.5% of the points of the higher-ranked team are transferred to the lower.) Higher-ranked teams give away more points when they lose than they gain when they win. So the more points a team has, the more games it must win to prevent a decline in its points total.

At the start of each season an "inflation" adjustment is incorporated into each active team's points, to ensure the number of points in circulation remains 50 per active team. (The adjustment is necessary because relegated teams tend to leave some of their original 50 points with surviving teams.)

The number of points a team has is mathematically transformed into a "required win percentage", labelled RWP, which is the number of games per hundred a team would have to win to maintain their points balance, assuming the opposition always had exactly 50 points. The formula is RWP = 100 * points / (points + 50). The table and graph compare teams using RWPs instead of points.

These rankings are unofficial. They have been compiled using match results found on the internet for the Champions cup, Challenge cup, Premiership, Pro 12 and Top 14. There may be errors in the data or calculations that cause the rankings to be misleading.