England and Wales find themselves placed in an identical group for the 2027 RWC, setting up a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw mirrors their infamous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground contributed to the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Group Pairings
The Irish and Scotland have likewise been drawn in a group together, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they secured a 36-14 victory, with Scotland unable to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, complete that same group.
Notably, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from holders and top-ranked the Springboks until the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans top their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the pools conclude in line with the current global standings, other top favourites like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would remain separated from both the English and the Irish until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the other top-ranked nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Opener
Tournament hosts the Wallabies have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will open the World Cup in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 stage for the very first time in the competition's existence.
Although 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 Italy – in the last 16.
A total of four of the remaining six pool winners will face a third-placed side from the pool stages.
Rugby World Cup 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
