The English side and Wales have been drawn in the same group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a major pool stage encounter in Australia. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw recalls their infamous clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
The Irish and the Scots have likewise been drawn in a pool together, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they secured a 36-14 victory, with Scotland failing to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that same group.
Significantly, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks until the final, assuming the South Africans win their own group.
Knockout Implications
If the pools play out in line with the current world rankings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from both the English and the Irish until the championship decider.
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 Draw Blockbuster Opener
Hosts Australia find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at jump-start the competition.
In other groups, holders South Africa have drawn Italy, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in 2023.
This edition will introduce a round of 16 stage for the first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the rugby's biggest beasts early on, they will have to face the runner-up from Group B – probably the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six pool winners will play a team that finished third from the pool stages.
Rugby World Cup 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
