England together with Wales find themselves placed in an identical pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a major pool stage clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This draw echoes their famous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' surprise group stage elimination.
Key Group Draws
The Irish alongside the Scots also share a pool together, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they claimed a convincing win, with their opponents failing to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, both made a strong impression as underdogs in France, complete that same group.
Significantly, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks before the final, assuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.
Knockout Implications
Should the pools play out in line with the current global standings, other top favourites like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from both England and Ireland until the final.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other highly-seeded nation on that side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Pool A.
Australia will open the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee fixture designed to launch the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have drawn Italy, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with Japan, 2031 hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 round for the first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the victor of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the rugby's heavyweights initially, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other 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
