The English side together with their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same pool for the 2027 RWC, promising a highly-anticipated early encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This draw mirrors their infamous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win 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, replicating the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they claimed a 36-14 victory, with Scotland unable to progress to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each impressed as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from holders and top-ranked South Africa before the final, assuming the South Africans top their own group.
Knockout Implications
Should the groups conclude in line with the current world rankings, other top favourites like the All Blacks and France would remain separated from the likes of England and Ireland until the final.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Major Opener
Hosts the Wallabies have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will open the World Cup in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee fixture aimed at jump-start the event.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with Japan, 2031 hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in 2023.
This edition will introduce a last-16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights early on, they will have to face the runner-up from Group B – probably Italy – in the last 16.
A total of four of the other six pool winners will play 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
