England and their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in an identical group for the 2027 RWC, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw recalls their famous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at England's home ground played a part in the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
Ireland and the Scots also share a group once again, just as the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they claimed a 36-14 win, with their opponents unable to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that Pool D.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks until the showpiece match, presuming the Springboks top their assigned pool.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the pools play out according to the current global standings, other leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and Ireland all the way to the final.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other top-ranked nation on that half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Opener
Hosts Australia have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Pool A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee fixture designed to jump-start the competition.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 round for the first time in the competition's history.
While the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights initially, they will meet the second-placed team from Group B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
Four of the remaining six pool winners will face a third-placed side 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
