England and their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in an identical group for the World Cup in 2027, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing mirrors their famous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Group Draws
Ireland alongside the Scots also share a group once again, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, Ireland secured a 36-14 victory, with their opponents unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, both impressed as surprise packages in France, complete that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and world number one South Africa until the showpiece match, presuming the South Africans top their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the pools play out according to the current world rankings, other top favourites like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from both England and Ireland all the way to the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Face Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee match aimed at launch the competition.
Elsewhere, holders South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are grouped with Japan, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will face Fiji, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will have to face the runner-up from Group B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
Four of the other six pool winners will face a third-placed side from the initial group phase.
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
