The English side together with their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in the same pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This pairing recalls their famous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' shock early exit.
Key Pool Draws
Ireland alongside Scotland also share a pool together, replicating the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they secured a 36-14 victory, with their opponents unable to progress to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, round out that Pool D.
Significantly, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from defending champions and world number one the Springboks before the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans win their own group.
Knockout Implications
Should the groups play out according to the current world rankings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from both the English and Ireland until the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other top-ranked nation on that side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Major Opener
Hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their great rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.
Australia will open the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee match aimed at launch the event.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Spain and Canada as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although the winner of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the rugby's heavyweights early on, they will have to face the second-placed team from Group B – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.
A total of four of the other six group winners will face a team that finished third from the initial group phase.
RWC 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
