England and their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in an identical group for the World Cup in 2027, promising a highly-anticipated early encounter in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Pool F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This draw echoes their infamous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' surprise early exit.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
The Irish alongside the Scots have likewise been drawn in a group together, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they claimed a convincing victory, with their opponents unable to advance to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, both impressed as underdogs in France, round out that same group.
Significantly, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks until the showpiece match, presuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Tournament Implications
If the pools play out in line with the current world rankings, further top favourites like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and Ireland until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Draw Major Opener
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at jump-start the competition.
In other groups, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. France are grouped with Japan, future hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Spain and Canada as the World Cup expands to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in 2023.
This edition will feature a last-16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
Although the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – probably Italy – in the last 16.
A total of four of the other six pool 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
