England and their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in an identical group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a highly-anticipated early encounter in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Pool F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This draw mirrors their memorable clash in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at England's home ground played a part in the English team's surprise early exit.
Key Pool Pairings
The Irish alongside Scotland also share a pool together, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland secured a 36-14 victory, with their opponents unable to advance to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, who each impressed as underdogs in France, complete that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked South Africa before the final, presuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Knockout Implications
If the pools play out according to the current global standings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of England and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Major Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.
The Wallabies will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee match designed to jump-start the event.
In other groups, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will take on the Flying Fijians, Spain and Canada as the World Cup grows to 24 teams from the twenty who competed in France.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 round for the first time in the competition's existence.
Although the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights early on, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six pool winners will play a team that finished third from the pool stages.
RWC 2027 Draw
Pool A
- New Zealand
- Australia
- Chile
- Hong Kong
Pool B
- South Africa
- Italy
- Georgia
- Romania
Pool C
- Argentina
- Fiji
- Spain
- Canada
Pool D
- Ireland
- Scotland
- Uruguay
- Portugal
Pool E
- France
- Japan
- USA
- Samoa
Pool F
- England
- Wales
- Tonga
- Zimbabwe
