England and their Welsh counterparts will face off in an identical group for the 2027 RWC, setting up a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This draw recalls their memorable clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' surprise group stage elimination.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
The Irish and Scotland also share a group once again, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, Ireland secured a convincing win, with their opponents failing to progress to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Portugal, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, round out that same group.
Notably, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from holders and world number one the Springboks before the final, presuming the Springboks win their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the groups conclude according to the current global standings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would remain separated from both England and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture
Hosts the Wallabies find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee match designed to launch the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions the Springboks have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will face the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the 20 who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
Although the winner of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's biggest beasts initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round.
Four of the other six group 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
