England and their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in the same group for the 2027 RWC, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw mirrors their famous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' surprise early exit.
Other Notable Group Draws
Ireland and the Scots have likewise been drawn in a pool once again, just as the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they claimed a 36-14 win, with their opponents unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in France, round out that Pool D.
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 Implications
Should the groups play out in line with the current global standings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would remain separated from the likes of the English and Ireland all the way to the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the remaining top-ranked nation on that half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Opener
Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Pool A.
The Wallabies will open the tournament in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee match aimed at jump-start the event.
Elsewhere, holders South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the United States and Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in 2023.
This edition will introduce a last-16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
While the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely Italy – in the last 16.
Four of the other six pool 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
