Ireland are placed fourth in the inaugural women’s rugby world rankings

The men have some catching up to do.

World Rugby has unveiled the first ever world rankings for women's international sides and the inaugural table makes pretty decent reading for Ireland. Tom Tierney's side are fourth in the list, which has been compiled using results going back as far as 1987, but the reigning Six Nations champions are behind both France and England as they begin the defence of their crown this weekend against No.10 side Wales. New Zealand sit on top of the pile, and with nearly as big a margin over the French as their male counterparts hold in their rankings. World Rugby chair Bernard Lapasset said: "After the success of Women's Rugby World Cup in 2014 and the excitement building up to the next edition in 2017 in Ireland, it's vital for international teams to have a rankings focus that will drive exposure and interest as well as increasing the competition schedule, as it encourages member unions to play more test matches. "It's a positive step for one of the fastest growing team sports in the world, as it brings parity with the men's game. Today's announcement also comes as a timely boost ahead of what will be an exciting Women's Six Nations Championship."

1. New Zealand 92.08
2. France 87.18
3. England 86.71
4. Ireland 83.61
5. Canada 82.12
6. USA 81.23
7. Australia 80.03
8. Italy 76.97
9. Spain 76.60
10. Wales 74.00