England and their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same pool for the 2027 RWC, promising a major early clash in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw recalls their famous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
Ireland and Scotland have likewise been drawn in a pool together, replicating the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, Ireland secured a convincing win, with their opponents unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Portugal, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, round out that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from holders and world number one South Africa before the final, assuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.
Knockout Ramifications
Should the pools play out according to the current world rankings, further top favourites like the All Blacks and France would remain separated from the likes of the English and the Irish until the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Face Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee match aimed at jump-start the competition.
In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will take on the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in 2023.
This edition will introduce a round of 16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will have to face the second-placed team from Group B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
Four of the remaining six pool winners will play a third-placed side 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
