England and their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in an identical group for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a major early clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw mirrors their memorable clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at England's home ground contributed to the English team's surprise group stage elimination.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
Ireland and Scotland also share a pool once again, just as the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a convincing win, with their opponents unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that Pool D.
Notably, the victors of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks before the showpiece match, assuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Tournament Implications
If the pools conclude in line with the current global standings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would remain separated from the likes of the English and the Irish until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Hosts Face Major Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves together with their great rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at jump-start the event.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. France are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will face Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 stage for the first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the victor of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights early on, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six pool winners will face a team that finished third from the initial group phase.
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
