England together with their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in the same pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a major pool stage clash in Australia. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This pairing recalls their memorable meeting in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the English team's shock early exit.
Other Notable Pool Draws
Ireland and Scotland have likewise been drawn in a group once again, replicating the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they claimed a 36-14 win, with Scotland failing to progress to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in France, complete that same group.
Notably, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and world number one South Africa before the final, presuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Knockout Ramifications
Should the pools conclude in line with the current world rankings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from the likes of England and Ireland until the final.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other highly-seeded nation on that half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Blockbuster Opener
Hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.
The Wallabies will open the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to jump-start the event.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have been paired with Italy, Georgia and Romania. France are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 round for the first time in the competition's history.
While the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
Four of the remaining six group winners will play a third-placed side from the initial group phase.
Rugby World Cup 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
