England and their Welsh counterparts will face off in an identical group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a major pool stage clash in Australia. Completing the group in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw recalls their infamous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' surprise early exit.
Key Pool Pairings
The Irish and the Scots also share a pool once again, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they secured a 36-14 victory, with their opponents unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, both made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Significantly, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks until the final, presuming the South Africans top their own group.
Tournament Implications
Should the pools conclude in line with the current world rankings, further top favourites like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both England and Ireland all the way to the final.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A.
The Wallabies will open the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to launch the competition.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the World Cup expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in France.
This edition will feature a round of 16 round for the very first time in the competition's history.
While the victor of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights initially, they will meet the second-placed team from Group B – probably the Italians – in the last 16.
Four of the other six pool winners will play a team that finished third 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
