The English side and their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same pool for the 2027 RWC, setting up a major pool stage clash in Australia. Completing the group in Pool F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw echoes their infamous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the English team's surprise early exit.
Key Pool Draws
Ireland alongside the Scots have likewise been drawn in a group together, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they secured a convincing win, with their opponents unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, complete that same group.
Significantly, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from holders and top-ranked the Springboks until the final, assuming the Springboks win their own group.
Tournament Implications
Should the groups play out in line with the current global standings, other top favourites like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and the Irish until 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.
Hosts Draw Major Opener
Hosts the Wallabies find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will open the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to launch the event.
In other groups, holders South Africa have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are grouped with Japan, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Spain and Canada as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 round for the first time in the competition's existence.
Although the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the rugby's biggest beasts initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.
A total of four of the other six pool winners will play a team that finished third from the initial group phase.
Rugby World Cup 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
