England together with Wales find themselves placed in an identical pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a highly-anticipated early clash in Australia. They are joined 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 a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the English team's shock early exit.
Key Group Draws
The Irish and the Scots also share a pool together, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they secured a 36-14 victory, with their opponents failing to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each impressed as surprise packages in France, round out that same group.
Significantly, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked South Africa until the final, assuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Tournament Implications
Should the pools conclude according to the current global standings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from both England and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the other top-ranked nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Draw Major Opener
Hosts the Wallabies have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at jump-start the event.
In other groups, holders South Africa have drawn Italy, Georgia and the Oaks. France are grouped with Japan, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Spain and Canada as the tournament grows to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in France.
This edition will feature a round of 16 stage for the first time in the competition's history.
While the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the rugby's biggest beasts initially, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six pool winners will face a third-placed side from the initial group phase.
RWC 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
