The English side and their Welsh counterparts will face off in an identical pool for the 2027 RWC, setting up a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in Australia. Completing the group in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw recalls their famous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' shock early exit.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
Ireland and the Scots also share a pool together, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a convincing victory, with Scotland unable to progress to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Notably, the victors of these two groups cannot meet holders and world number one South Africa until the showpiece match, presuming the South Africans win their assigned pool.
Knockout Implications
Should the pools play out in line with the current global standings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both the English and the Irish until the final.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Face Major Opener
Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn alongside their great rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to launch the event.
In other groups, reigning champions South Africa 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 Fiji, Spain and Canada as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who took part in 2023.
This edition will feature a last-16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
While the winner of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the rugby's heavyweights early on, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round.
Four of the remaining six group winners will play a third-placed side 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
