England together with Wales will face off in an identical group for the 2027 RWC, promising a major pool stage clash in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Pool F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing echoes their infamous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Pool Draws
Ireland and Scotland also share a group once again, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they claimed a 36-14 victory, with Scotland unable to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each impressed as underdogs in the last World Cup, complete that Pool D.
Notably, the victors of these two groups cannot meet holders and world number one South Africa before the final, assuming the Springboks top their assigned pool.
Tournament Implications
Should the pools play out in line with the current global standings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would remain separated from both the English and the Irish until the final.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the remaining top-ranked nation on that side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Opener
Tournament hosts the Wallabies have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A.
The Wallabies will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to launch the event.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have been paired with Italy, Georgia and the Oaks. France are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 round for the very first time in the competition's existence.
Although the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the rugby's biggest beasts 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
