The English side and their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a major early encounter in Australia. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This draw echoes their famous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the English team's surprise early exit.
Key Group Pairings
Ireland and Scotland also share a group once again, just as the situation from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, they secured a convincing win, with their opponents unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that same group.
Notably, the winners of these two groups cannot meet holders and top-ranked the Springboks before the final, presuming the Springboks win their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
If the pools play out according to the current world rankings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and Ireland until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining top-ranked nation on that half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener
Hosts Australia have been drawn together with their great rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.
The Wallabies will open the tournament in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at launch the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with Italy, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with Japan, future hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will face the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup expands to 24 teams from the twenty who competed in 2023.
This edition will feature a last-16 stage for the first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will have to face the runner-up from Group B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the remaining six group winners will face a team that finished third from the pool stages.
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
