The English side and their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same pool for the 2027 RWC, setting up a major pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This draw echoes their famous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham played a part in the English team's shock group stage elimination.
Key Pool Pairings
Ireland alongside Scotland have likewise been drawn in a group once again, replicating the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, Ireland secured a 36-14 win, with their opponents unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each impressed as underdogs in France, round out that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks until the final, assuming the South Africans top their own group.
Knockout Implications
If the pools play out in line with the current global standings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and Ireland until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same half of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Opener
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at launch the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions the Springboks have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with Japan, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will face Fiji, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the World Cup expands to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 round for the first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
While the victor of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six group winners will play 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
