England together with their Welsh counterparts will face off in an identical pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a major pool stage encounter in Australia. Completing the group in Pool F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw recalls their memorable clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' surprise group stage elimination.
Key Pool Pairings
The Irish and Scotland have likewise been drawn in a pool once again, replicating the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, Ireland secured a convincing win, with Scotland unable to advance to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in France, round out that same group.
Notably, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from holders and top-ranked the Springboks until the final, presuming the South Africans win their own group.
Knockout Implications
Should the groups play out according to the current world rankings, other leading contenders like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from both the English and Ireland all the way to the final.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Blockbuster Opener
Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn alongside their great rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Pool A.
Australia will open the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, holders South Africa have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are grouped with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will face the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in 2023.
This edition will introduce a round of 16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
While the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Group B – probably the Italians – in the last 16.
Four of the remaining six group winners will play a team that finished third from the pool stages.
RWC 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
