England together with Wales will face off in an identical group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a major early encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This draw recalls their memorable clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the English team's shock early exit.
Other Notable Group Draws
The Irish alongside the Scots have likewise been drawn in a pool together, replicating the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they claimed a 36-14 victory, with Scotland failing to progress to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in France, complete that same group.
Notably, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and world number one the Springboks until the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans win their assigned pool.
Tournament Implications
If the pools play out according to the current global standings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and the Irish all the way to the final.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same side of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Draw Major Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their great rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee fixture aimed at jump-start the event.
In other groups, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will face the Flying Fijians, Spain and Canada as the tournament grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in 2023.
This edition will introduce a round of 16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
Although the winner of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will meet the runner-up from Group B – most likely Italy – in the last 16.
Four of the other six group winners will face a third-placed side 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
