England together with Wales have been drawn in an identical pool for the 2027 RWC, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw echoes their famous clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the English team's shock early exit.
Other Notable Group Pairings
The Irish and Scotland have likewise been drawn in a group once again, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they secured a 36-14 win, with Scotland failing to progress to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that same group.
Notably, the victors of these two groups cannot meet holders and top-ranked the Springboks before the final, assuming the Springboks win their own group.
Tournament Implications
Should the groups play out according to the current world rankings, further 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 championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on that side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn Italy, Georgia and the Oaks. France are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will face the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in France.
This edition will introduce a last-16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights initially, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
Four of the remaining six pool winners will face a third-placed side from the pool stages.
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
