England together with Wales find themselves placed in the same group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a major pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing echoes their infamous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at England's home ground contributed to the English team's surprise group stage elimination.
Other Notable Group Pairings
The Irish and Scotland also share a group together, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, Ireland secured a convincing win, with Scotland failing to progress to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Portugal, who each impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet holders and top-ranked the Springboks before the final, presuming the South Africans top their own group.
Tournament Implications
If the groups play out according to the current global standings, other top favourites like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and the Irish until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the other highly-seeded nation on that side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves alongside their great rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at launch the competition.
In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are grouped with Japan, future hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will face the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to 24 teams from the twenty who competed in 2023.
This edition will introduce a last-16 stage for the very first time in the competition's history.
Although the winner of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the rugby's biggest beasts initially, they will meet the runner-up from Group B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six group 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
