England together with their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in an identical group for the 2027 RWC, promising a highly-anticipated early clash in Australia. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing mirrors their memorable clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' shock early exit.
Key Pool Pairings
The Irish alongside Scotland have likewise been drawn in a pool together, just as the scenario from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, they secured a convincing victory, with Scotland failing to advance to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that Pool D.
Notably, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks until the final, assuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Knockout Ramifications
Should the groups play out in line with the current world rankings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and Ireland until the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other top-ranked nation on the same half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Face Major Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A.
The Wallabies will open the tournament in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will face the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in France.
This edition will introduce a round of 16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the winner of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's biggest beasts initially, they will have to face the runner-up from Group B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the remaining six pool winners will play a third-placed side from the pool stages.
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
