The English side together with Wales find themselves placed in the same pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a major pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Pool F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This pairing recalls their famous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the English team's shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Pool Draws
Ireland and Scotland also share a pool together, just as the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they secured a convincing victory, with Scotland unable to progress to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, both impressed as surprise packages in France, round out that Pool D.
Notably, the victors of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and world number one the Springboks before the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans top their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
If the pools play out according to the current world rankings, other top favourites like New Zealand and France would remain separated from the likes of the English and Ireland all the way to the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining top-ranked nation on that side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Face Major Opener
Hosts Australia have been drawn together with their great rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee fixture designed to launch the competition.
In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. The French team are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in France.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 stage for the very first time in the competition's existence.
Although 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 last 16.
A total of four of the remaining six pool winners will play a team that finished third from the initial group phase.
RWC 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
