England and their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in the same group for the 2027 RWC, setting up a major pool stage clash in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw mirrors their memorable meeting in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' surprise group stage elimination.
Other Notable Group Pairings
The Irish alongside the Scots also share a group once again, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, Ireland secured a 36-14 win, with Scotland unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Portugal, who each impressed as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that Pool D.
Significantly, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks until the final, presuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.
Tournament Ramifications
If the groups play out in line with the current world rankings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from both England and Ireland until the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other top-ranked nation on the same side of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Fixture
Hosts Australia have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee fixture designed to jump-start the event.
Elsewhere, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will face Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to twenty-four nations from the twenty who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 round for the very first time in the competition's history.
Although the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
Four of the other six pool winners will face a team that finished third 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
