The English side and their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a major pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Pool F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing mirrors their infamous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Pool Draws
Ireland alongside Scotland also share a pool once again, just as the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland secured a convincing win, with Scotland failing to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, both impressed as surprise packages in France, complete that Pool D.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups cannot meet holders and top-ranked the Springboks before the showpiece match, presuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Tournament Implications
If the pools conclude according to the current global standings, other top favourites like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of England and the Irish until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee match aimed at jump-start the competition.
In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will take on the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the twenty who competed in France.
This edition will introduce a round of 16 round for the very first time in the competition's history.
While the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Group B – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.
Four of the other six pool winners will face 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
