England and their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a highly-anticipated early encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing mirrors their infamous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at England's home ground played a part in the hosts' shock early exit.
Other Notable Group Pairings
Ireland and Scotland have likewise been drawn in a group together, just as the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they secured a 36-14 win, with their opponents failing to advance to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that same group.
Significantly, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet holders and world number one the Springboks before the final, assuming the South Africans win their own group.
Tournament Implications
Should the groups play out in line with the current global standings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would remain separated from the likes of England and the Irish until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Draw Major Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Pool A.
Australia will open the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to jump-start the event.
In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn Italy, Georgia and Romania. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in 2023.
This edition will introduce a round of 16 round for the very first time in the competition's history.
Although the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts initially, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
Four of the other six group winners will face a team that finished third from the initial group phase.
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
