England together with their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a highly-anticipated early clash in Australia. Completing the group in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This draw recalls their famous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the English team's shock early exit.
Key Pool Draws
The Irish and the Scots also share a pool once again, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, they secured a convincing win, with their opponents unable to progress to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from holders and world number one the Springboks until the final, presuming the Springboks top their assigned pool.
Knockout Implications
If the pools conclude in line with the current global standings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from both England and Ireland until the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other highly-seeded nation on that side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Face Blockbuster Fixture
Hosts Australia find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will open the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee match designed to jump-start the event.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. France are grouped with Japan, 2031 hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will meet the runner-up from Group B – probably the Italians – in the first knockout round.
Four of the other six pool winners will play a team that finished third 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
