Steelers climb rankings ahead of Rio Paras

Australia's gold medal credentials in wheelchair rugby have strengthened with an impressive display in the last major tournament before the Rio Paralympics.

The Steelers finished second in the seven-team Canada Cup with a 5-1 record following a 63-60 victory over Sweden in their final match in Vancouver on Monday (AEST).

The round robin tournament boosted Australia's world ranking to second from fourth ahead of the Games in September.

Despite convincing wins over Rio group opponents and fellow medal contenders Canada and Great Britain, the Australians were disappointed by a four-goal loss to powerhouse USA.

"We came here not to lose a game," said Steelers coach Brad Dubberley.

"We knew that if we held them (USA) to under 55 goals and controlled the tempo, that would put us in a good position to win the game but it didn't happen that way.

"It just means we will look at how we approach things differently."