England together with their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in an identical group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a highly-anticipated early encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This draw recalls their memorable meeting in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' shock early exit.
Key Pool Draws
The Irish alongside Scotland have likewise been drawn in a group once again, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, Ireland claimed a 36-14 victory, with their opponents unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in France, complete that Pool D.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and top-ranked South Africa until the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.
Knockout Ramifications
If the pools conclude in line with the current world rankings, other top favourites like New Zealand and France would remain separated from both the English and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other top-ranked nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Draw Major Opener
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will open the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee fixture aimed at launch the competition.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament grows to twenty-four nations from the twenty who took part in 2023.
This edition will introduce a last-16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
Four of the remaining six pool winners will face a team that finished third 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
