The English side and Wales find themselves placed in an identical pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a major early clash in Australia. Completing the group in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This draw mirrors their memorable clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the English team's shock early exit.
Key Pool Draws
Ireland alongside the Scots also share a pool once again, just as the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, Ireland secured a convincing win, with Scotland unable to progress to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, both impressed as surprise packages in France, round out that Pool D.
Notably, the victors of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and world number one South Africa until the showpiece match, presuming the Springboks top their assigned pool.
Tournament Implications
If the groups play out in line with the current world rankings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would remain separated from both the English and the Irish all the way to the final.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same side of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Face Blockbuster Fixture
Hosts the Wallabies have been drawn together with their great rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.
The Wallabies will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at jump-start the event.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will take on the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the twenty who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 round for the first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
Although the winner of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six pool winners will face a third-placed side from the initial group phase.
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
