England together with their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same group for the 2027 RWC, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This draw echoes their famous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at England's home ground contributed to the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Group Pairings
The Irish alongside Scotland also share a group once again, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they secured a 36-14 win, with Scotland unable to progress to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, complete that same group.
Significantly, the victors of these two groups cannot meet holders and world number one the Springboks before the final, assuming the Springboks top their own group.
Knockout Implications
If the pools play out according to the current world rankings, further top favourites like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of England and Ireland until the final.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Draw Major Opener
Hosts Australia have been drawn together with their great rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at jump-start the competition.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have drawn Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will face the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in France.
This edition will introduce a round of 16 round for the first time in the competition's existence.
While the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the rugby's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
Four of the other six group winners will face a team that finished third from the initial group phase.
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
