England and Wales find themselves placed in the same pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a major pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing mirrors their infamous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' surprise group stage elimination.
Other Notable Group Draws
The Irish alongside Scotland also share a group together, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, Ireland secured a 36-14 victory, with their opponents unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from holders and top-ranked the Springboks until the final, assuming the South Africans top their own group.
Tournament Implications
If the pools conclude in line with the current global standings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of England 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 elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Face Major Opener
Hosts Australia have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at launch the competition.
In other groups, holders South Africa have drawn Italy, Georgia and the Oaks. France are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the United States and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Los Pumas will take on the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in France.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 round for the first time in the competition's existence.
Although the victor of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Group B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of 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
