England and their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same pool for the 2027 RWC, setting up a highly-anticipated pool stage clash in Australia. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw recalls their infamous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the English team's surprise group stage elimination.
Other Notable Group Draws
Ireland alongside the Scots also share a pool together, just as the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a convincing victory, with Scotland unable to progress to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, round out that Pool D.
Significantly, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from holders and world number one South Africa until the showpiece match, assuming the Springboks top their own group.
Knockout Implications
Should the pools conclude in line with the current global standings, further top favourites like New Zealand and France would remain separated from the likes of England and Ireland until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the remaining top-ranked nation on that side of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Opener
Hosts the Wallabies have been drawn alongside their great rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A.
The Wallabies will kick off the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at launch the event.
In other groups, holders South Africa have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will face the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the World Cup expands to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
While the victor of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – probably the Italians – in the first knockout round.
Four of the remaining six group winners will play a team that finished third from the initial group phase.
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
