England together with their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing mirrors their famous clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the English team's surprise early exit.
Other Notable Pool Draws
The Irish and Scotland also share a pool together, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they claimed a 36-14 win, with their opponents unable to progress to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Portugal, both made a strong impression as underdogs in France, complete that same group.
Notably, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from holders and top-ranked the Springboks until the final, assuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the groups play out in line with the current global standings, further top favourites like New Zealand and Les Bleus would remain separated from both England and Ireland until the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other top-ranked nation on the same side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture
Hosts Australia have been drawn alongside their great rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to jump-start the event.
Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the United States and Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Argentina will face Fiji, Spain and Canada as the World Cup expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 round for the first time in the competition's existence.
Although the winner of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's biggest beasts initially, they will meet the runner-up from Group B – most likely Italy – in the last 16.
Four of the remaining six pool winners will face 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
