Thursday 14 May 2015 15:58, UK
New Zealand will go in to their three-test autumn series with England as the best team in rugby league.
The Kiwis gained top spot in the world rankings thanks to a 26-12 victory over Australia in Brisbane earlier this month, knocking their neighbours from the summit for the first time.
It was a third consecutive win for Stephen Kearney’s men over Australia, following back-to-back victories in the 2014 Four Nations Series..
Kearney, New Zealand's longest-serving rugby league head coach, said: "It's always humbling when your accomplishments are recognised in a tangible way and this ranking is a sign that we are doing something right in terms of our overall goal, which is simply to continually strive towards achieving our potential.
"We're somewhat fortunate that we've been able to field close to our strongest side over our last two campaigns - the Four Nations and this month's ANZAC Test. Compare that with last year's ANZAC game, when we had about 16 players unavailable.
"But it's also the result of some hard work put in by New Zealand Rugby League over the past 12 months and a testament to the players and staff that have really bought into that culture of constant improvement."
However, Kearney believes Australia are still the team to beat and recognises that their position on top of the rankings will be challenged when they take on England later in the year.
David Collier, chief executive of the Rugby League International Federation, said: "New Zealand's success in the recent Test has elevated them to the number one position by the narrowest of margins, which makes the series against third-placed England later in the year of even greater significance."
New Zealand were not the only team to rise in the rankings. Elsewhere, Lebanon began their quest for RLWC qualification with a three-place rise to 20th following their recent win over Malta and Belgium announced their arrival on the international stage with a series of victories moving them to 18th.
