England and their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in the same group for the 2027 RWC, promising a major early clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This pairing echoes their famous clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the English team's surprise early exit.
Other Notable Group Draws
Ireland alongside Scotland have likewise been drawn in a pool once again, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a 36-14 victory, with Scotland failing to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, round out that same group.
Notably, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and top-ranked South Africa before the final, assuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Tournament Implications
If the pools play out in line with the current global standings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would remain separated from both the English and the Irish until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Face Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee match aimed at launch the competition.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have drawn Italy, Georgia and the Oaks. France are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will face the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the World Cup expands to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
Four of the other six group 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
