England together with their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in the same pool for the 2027 RWC, promising a highly-anticipated early clash in Australia. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This draw mirrors their memorable meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the English team's shock early exit.
Key Group Pairings
Ireland alongside the Scots have likewise been drawn in a pool once again, just as the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they claimed a convincing victory, with Scotland failing to progress to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that Pool D.
Significantly, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from defending champions and world number one the Springboks before the showpiece match, presuming the Springboks top their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the pools play out according to the current world rankings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would remain separated from both the English and Ireland all the way to the final.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Face Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, holders South Africa have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the twenty who competed in France.
This edition will feature a last-16 round for the very first time in the competition's existence.
Although the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will meet the runner-up from Group B – most likely Italy – in the last 16.
A total of four of the remaining six pool winners will face a team that finished third from the pool stages.
Rugby World Cup 2027 Groups
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
