The English side together with Wales will face off in the same pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing recalls their infamous clash in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at England's home ground contributed to the hosts' surprise early exit.
Key Pool Pairings
Ireland and the Scots have likewise been drawn in a pool together, just as the situation from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, Ireland secured a 36-14 win, with Scotland unable to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, complete that same group.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet holders and top-ranked the Springboks before the showpiece match, presuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the pools play out according to the current world rankings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would remain separated from the likes of England and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that side of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener
Hosts the Wallabies find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee match designed to jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 round for the first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
Although the victor of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will have to face the runner-up from Group B – probably the Italians – in the last 16.
A total of four of the remaining six group winners will face a third-placed side from the pool stages.
RWC 2027 Draw
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
