The English and Welsh Drawn Together for 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia
The English side and Wales have been drawn in an identical pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing mirrors their famous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the hosts' surprise group stage elimination.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
Ireland alongside the Scots have likewise been drawn in a group together, replicating the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, Ireland claimed a convincing win, with Scotland failing to progress to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Portugal, both impressed as underdogs in France, round out that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of these two groups cannot meet holders and world number one the Springboks before the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.
Knockout Ramifications
Should the pools play out in line with the current world rankings, other top favourites like New Zealand and Les Bleus would remain separated from the likes of the English and Ireland all the way to the final.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Major Opener
Hosts Australia find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will open the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee match aimed at jump-start the competition.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are grouped with Japan, future hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in 2023.
This edition will introduce a last-16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will have to face the runner-up from Group B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
Four of the remaining six pool winners will face a third-placed side 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
