The English side and their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in an identical pool for the 2027 RWC, setting up a highly-anticipated pool stage clash in Australia. Completing the group in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This pairing echoes their infamous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the hosts' surprise early exit.
Key Group Pairings
The Irish alongside Scotland also share a pool together, just as the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they secured a 36-14 win, with Scotland unable to progress to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Significantly, the victors of these two groups cannot meet holders and world number one South Africa until the showpiece match, presuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.
Tournament Ramifications
If the pools conclude in line with the current world rankings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both England and Ireland all the way to the final.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that half of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Draw Major Opener
Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Pool A.
Australia will open the tournament in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at launch the competition.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. France are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will take on the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup grows to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the victor 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 runner-up from Pool B – probably the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six group winners will face 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
