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. Completing the group in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing recalls their infamous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' shock early exit.
Other Notable Group Draws
Ireland alongside Scotland have likewise been drawn in a group once again, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, they claimed a 36-14 victory, with Scotland failing to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, round out that Pool D.
Significantly, the victors of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and world number one the Springboks until the showpiece match, presuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Tournament Implications
If the groups conclude according to the current world rankings, further top favourites like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from the likes of England and Ireland all the way to the final.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on that side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will open the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to jump-start the event.
In other groups, holders South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will take on the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the 20 who took part in France.
This edition will introduce a round of 16 stage for the first time in the competition's existence.
While the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the rugby's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the runner-up from Group 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 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
