The English side and their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a major pool stage encounter in Australia. Completing the group in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw recalls their famous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
The Irish and the Scots have likewise been drawn in a group once again, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they secured a 36-14 victory, with their opponents failing to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from holders and top-ranked the Springboks before the final, assuming the Springboks top their assigned pool.
Knockout Implications
Should the pools play out in line with the current world rankings, other top favourites like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both England and the Irish all the way to the final.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves together with their great rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to jump-start the competition.
In other groups, reigning champions South Africa have drawn Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will face the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament grows to 24 teams 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 history.
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 – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
Four of the remaining six group winners will play a third-placed side from the initial group phase.
Rugby World Cup 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
