England and their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in the same pool for the 2027 RWC, setting up a major pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing echoes their infamous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at England's home ground contributed to the hosts' shock early exit.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
The Irish and the Scots have likewise been drawn in a pool together, just as the scenario from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, Ireland claimed a convincing victory, with Scotland failing to advance to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, both impressed as surprise packages in France, round out that Pool D.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks before the final, presuming the South Africans win their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
If the pools play out according to the current world rankings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both the English and Ireland all the way to the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other highly-seeded nation on that half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Opener
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.
The Wallabies will open the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee fixture aimed at launch the competition.
In other groups, holders South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Spain and Canada as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in France.
This edition will feature a last-16 round for the first time in the competition's existence.
Although the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six pool winners will play a team that finished third from the pool stages.
Rugby World Cup 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
