England and their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in the same group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a major early encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing mirrors their infamous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' shock early exit.
Other Notable Group Pairings
The Irish alongside the Scots also share a group together, replicating the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, Ireland secured a convincing win, with Scotland unable to advance to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, complete that same group.
Notably, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and world number one South Africa until the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans win their assigned pool.
Tournament Ramifications
If the pools conclude in line with the current world rankings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would remain separated from both the English and Ireland until the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that half of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Draw Major Fixture
Hosts Australia have been drawn alongside their great rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will open the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to launch the competition.
In other groups, holders South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Spain and Canada as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a round of 16 round for the first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
While the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Group B – probably Italy – in the last 16.
A total of four of the remaining six pool winners will play 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
