England and Wales have been drawn in an identical group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage clash in Australia. Completing the group in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This pairing echoes their memorable clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the English team's surprise group stage elimination.
Key Pool Draws
The Irish alongside Scotland also share a pool once again, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they secured a 36-14 win, with Scotland unable to advance to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Portugal, both impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that same group.
Significantly, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks until the showpiece match, presuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Tournament Implications
Should the groups play out according to the current world rankings, further top favourites like New Zealand and Les Bleus would remain separated from both England and Ireland all the way to the final.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the remaining top-ranked nation on that half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Face Major Fixture
Hosts the Wallabies have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Pool A.
The Wallabies will open the tournament in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to jump-start the competition.
In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are grouped with Japan, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Format 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 twenty who took part in France.
This edition will feature a last-16 stage for the first time in the competition's existence.
While the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will have to face the second-placed team from Group B – probably the Italians – 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 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
