England and their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same pool for the 2027 RWC, setting up a highly-anticipated early encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw recalls their memorable meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at England's home ground contributed to the English team's surprise early exit.
Other Notable Group Pairings
Ireland alongside the Scots have likewise been drawn in a pool together, just as the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they claimed a 36-14 win, with Scotland failing to advance to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, who each impressed as surprise packages in France, round out that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from holders and top-ranked the Springboks before the final, assuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.
Knockout Ramifications
If the pools conclude according to the current world rankings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of England and Ireland until the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Face Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves together with their great rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A.
The Wallabies will open the World Cup in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee match designed to launch the event.
Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will face Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 round for the first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although the victor of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the rugby's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round.
Four of the remaining six group winners will face a team that finished third from the pool stages.
Rugby World Cup 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
