The English side and Wales find themselves placed in the same pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in Australia. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing echoes their infamous clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the English team's shock early exit.
Key Group Pairings
The Irish alongside the Scots have likewise been drawn in a group together, just as the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they claimed a convincing victory, with their opponents unable to progress to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in France, complete that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks before the final, assuming the South Africans top their own group.
Knockout Implications
Should the groups play out according to the current world rankings, further top favourites like New Zealand and Les Bleus would remain separated from the likes of England and Ireland all the way to the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other top-ranked nation on that side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Opener
Hosts the Wallabies find themselves together with their great rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Pool A.
The Wallabies will open the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at launch the event.
In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and Romania. France are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the World Cup expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
While the victor of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the rugby's biggest beasts early on, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other 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
