England together with Wales have been drawn in an identical pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a highly-anticipated early encounter in Australia. Completing the group in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This draw recalls their infamous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Group Pairings
The Irish and the Scots also share a group once again, just as the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland secured a 36-14 win, with Scotland failing to progress to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, 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 are kept apart from holders and top-ranked the Springboks until the showpiece match, presuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Knockout Implications
Should the groups play out according to the current world rankings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both England and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the other top-ranked nation on that side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener
Hosts the Wallabies have been drawn alongside 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 fixture designed to jump-start the event.
Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. France are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the winner of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the game's biggest beasts initially, they will meet the second-placed team from Group B – probably the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six group winners will face a third-placed side from the pool stages.
Rugby World Cup 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
