The English side together with their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in an identical pool for the 2027 RWC, setting up a highly-anticipated pool stage clash in Australia. Completing the group in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing echoes their memorable meeting in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the English team's surprise early exit.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
The Irish alongside the Scots also share a pool once again, just as the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they secured a 36-14 victory, with their opponents failing to advance to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Portugal, who each impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Notably, the winners of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks until the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans top their own group.
Tournament Implications
Should the groups play out according to the current world rankings, further top favourites like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both England and Ireland until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining top-ranked nation on that side of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves alongside their great rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Pool A.
The Wallabies will open the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to launch the event.
Elsewhere, holders South Africa have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Los Pumas will face Fiji, Spain and Canada as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 stage for the first time in the competition's existence.
While the winner of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the rugby's heavyweights early on, they will have to face the second-placed team from Group B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six pool 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
