England and their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a highly-anticipated early clash in Australia. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing mirrors their famous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
The Irish and the Scots have likewise been drawn in a pool once again, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a 36-14 win, with Scotland failing to advance to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, both impressed as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Notably, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from holders and world number one South Africa before the showpiece match, presuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.
Knockout Ramifications
Should the pools play out according to the current world rankings, further top favourites like New Zealand and France would remain separated from both the English and the Irish until the final.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Major Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their great rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee match aimed at jump-start the event.
Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. France are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will face the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the 20 who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a round of 16 stage for the first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
Although the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the rugby'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 remaining six group winners will face a team that finished third from the initial group phase.
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
