The English side and Wales have been drawn in the same pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a major pool stage clash in Australia. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing mirrors their famous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at England's home ground contributed to the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Key Pool Pairings
Ireland alongside Scotland also share a pool once again, just as the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they claimed a 36-14 win, with their opponents failing to progress to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, round out that same group.
Significantly, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks until the final, presuming the South Africans win their assigned pool.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the groups play out in line with the current global standings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Blockbuster Opener
Hosts Australia have been drawn together with their great rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Pool A.
Australia will open the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at launch the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. France are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Los Pumas will take on the Flying Fijians, Spain 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 round of 16 stage for the first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
Although the victor of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Group B – probably the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the remaining six pool winners will face a third-placed side from the pool stages.
Rugby World Cup 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
