England and their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in the same pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a major early encounter in Australia. Completing the group in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing mirrors their memorable meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham played a part in the English team's surprise group stage elimination.
Key Pool Draws
Ireland alongside Scotland also share a group together, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they secured a 36-14 victory, with their opponents unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, round out that same group.
Significantly, the victors of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks until the final, presuming the Springboks top their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the groups conclude in line with the current world rankings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and France would remain separated from both the English and the Irish all the way to the final.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the remaining top-ranked nation on that side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture
Hosts the Wallabies have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Pool A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the twenty who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a round of 16 round for the first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
While the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights 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 remaining six pool winners will face a team that finished third from the pool stages.
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
