England together with their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in the same pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a highly-anticipated early clash in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Pool F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing mirrors their famous clash in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the English team's shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Pool Draws
The Irish and the Scots have likewise been drawn in a group together, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, Ireland secured a convincing win, with Scotland failing to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, both impressed as surprise packages in France, complete that same group.
Notably, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and world number one South Africa before the final, presuming the South Africans top their own group.
Knockout Implications
If the groups play out according to the current world rankings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both England and Ireland until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the other highly-seeded nation on that half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Major Fixture
Hosts Australia have been drawn alongside their great rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Pool A.
The Wallabies will open the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at launch the event.
Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will face the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament expands to 24 teams 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 history.
Although the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts initially, they will meet the runner-up from Group B – most likely Italy – in the last 16.
A total of four of the remaining six group winners will face a team that finished third from the pool stages.
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
