England and Wales will face off in the same pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a major pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Pool F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw echoes their memorable clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the hosts' shock early exit.
Key Pool Pairings
The Irish and Scotland have likewise been drawn in a pool together, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they claimed a 36-14 victory, with Scotland failing to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, both impressed as underdogs in France, round out that Pool D.
Significantly, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and world number one the Springboks until the showpiece match, presuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.
Tournament Implications
Should the groups play out according to the current world rankings, other top favourites like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would remain separated from both England and Ireland until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Face Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their great rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will open the tournament in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at jump-start the event.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the twenty who competed in 2023.
This edition will feature a last-16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the victor of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the game's biggest beasts initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – probably the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the remaining six pool winners will play a team that finished third 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
