The English side and Wales find themselves placed in the same pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a highly-anticipated early encounter in Australia. Completing the group in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw mirrors their memorable clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' shock early exit.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
The Irish and the Scots have likewise been drawn in a group once again, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they claimed a convincing win, with Scotland failing to advance to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in France, complete that same group.
Significantly, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from holders and top-ranked the Springboks before the final, assuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Tournament Implications
Should the pools play out according to the current global standings, other top favourites like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from both England and the Irish until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on that side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Major Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn together with their great rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.
The Wallabies will open the World Cup in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at jump-start the event.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts initially, they will have to face the runner-up from Group B – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.
A total of four of the remaining six group winners will face a third-placed side from the pool stages.
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
