The English side and their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a major early clash in Australia. Completing the group in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This draw echoes their infamous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the English team's shock early exit.
Other Notable Group Draws
The Irish and the Scots have likewise been drawn in a pool together, just as the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they secured a 36-14 victory, with their opponents unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from holders and top-ranked the Springboks before the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.
Knockout Ramifications
Should the pools conclude in line with the current world rankings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the other highly-seeded nation on that half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Fixture
Hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at jump-start the competition.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the 20 who took part in 2023.
This edition will introduce a round of 16 round for the first time in the competition's existence.
Although the winner of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Group B – probably the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the remaining six group winners will face a team that finished third from the pool stages.
Rugby World Cup 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
