The English and Welsh Drawn Together for the 2027 World Cup in Australia
The English side together with their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in the same pool for the 2027 RWC, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in Australia. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing recalls their memorable clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the English team's shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Group Draws
The Irish and the Scots also share a group together, just as the situation from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, Ireland secured a 36-14 victory, with Scotland unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, who each impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Notably, the victors of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and world number one the Springboks until the final, assuming the Springboks win their own group.
Tournament Implications
If the groups conclude according to the current global standings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would remain separated from the likes of England and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining top-ranked nation on that half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will open the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at jump-start the event.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have drawn Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will face Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 stage for the first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will have to face the second-placed team from Group B – probably Italy – in the last 16.
A total of four of the other six pool winners will play 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
