England and their Welsh counterparts will face off in an identical pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw recalls their memorable clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground contributed to the English team's surprise group stage elimination.
Key Group Pairings
Ireland alongside Scotland have likewise been drawn in a pool once again, just as the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland secured a convincing victory, with their opponents failing to advance to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, round out that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet holders and top-ranked the Springboks until the final, presuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the pools play out according to the current world rankings, other top favourites like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from the likes of England and Ireland all the way to the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Face Blockbuster Fixture
Hosts Australia find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Pool A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to jump-start the event.
In other groups, holders South Africa have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. France are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Los Pumas will face Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the twenty who took part in France.
This edition will introduce a last-16 stage 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 have to face the runner-up from Group B – most likely Italy – in the last 16.
Four of the other six pool winners will play 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
