England and Wales find themselves placed in the same group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a major early clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing mirrors their famous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the English team's shock early exit.
Other Notable Group Pairings
The Irish and the Scots have likewise been drawn in a pool once again, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a convincing win, with Scotland unable to advance to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, round out that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and world number one South Africa until the final, presuming the Springboks top their assigned pool.
Knockout Ramifications
If the groups conclude according to the current world rankings, further top favourites like New Zealand and Les Bleus would remain separated from both the English and Ireland all the way to the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other top-ranked nation on that side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Hosts Face Major Opener
Hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.
Australia will open the tournament in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have drawn Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will face the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
While the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Group B – most likely Italy – in the last 16.
A total of four of the remaining six pool winners will face a third-placed side 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
