England together with Wales find themselves placed in an identical pool for the 2027 RWC, setting up a highly-anticipated pool stage clash in Australia. Completing the group in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing recalls their infamous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the hosts' surprise group stage elimination.
Key Pool Draws
The Irish alongside the Scots have likewise been drawn in a group once again, just as the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they claimed a 36-14 win, with Scotland unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Portugal, both impressed as surprise packages in France, round out that same group.
Notably, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and world number one the Springboks until the final, presuming the South Africans top their own group.
Tournament Implications
If the groups play out in line with the current world rankings, other leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both England and the Irish until the final.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Face Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will open the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee match aimed at launch the competition.
In other groups, reigning champions South Africa have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. France are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will face the Flying Fijians, Spain and Canada as the World Cup expands to 24 teams from the twenty who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 round for the first time in the competition's history.
While the victor of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights early on, they will have to face the second-placed team from Group B – probably the Italians – in the last 16.
A total of four of the other six pool winners will face a third-placed side from the initial group phase.
RWC 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
