The English side together with their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same group for the 2027 RWC, setting up 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 echoes their famous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the hosts' surprise group stage elimination.
Other Notable Pool Draws
Ireland alongside Scotland also share a group once again, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a 36-14 win, with Scotland failing to progress to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, both impressed as underdogs in the last World Cup, complete that Pool D.
Notably, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and world number one South Africa before the final, presuming the South Africans win their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the pools conclude according to the current global standings, further top favourites like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would remain separated from both England and Ireland until the final.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Face Major Fixture
Hosts Australia find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee fixture aimed at launch the event.
Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will face Fiji, Spain and Canada as the World Cup grows 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 the competition's history.
While the winner of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – probably the Italians – in the last 16.
Four of the other six group winners will face a team that finished third from the initial group phase.
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
