England together with their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in an identical pool for the 2027 RWC, promising a highly-anticipated early encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing mirrors their infamous clash in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at England's home ground contributed to the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Group Pairings
Ireland alongside the Scots also share a pool once again, just as the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, Ireland claimed a 36-14 win, with their opponents failing to advance to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Notably, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks before the showpiece match, presuming the Springboks top their own group.
Tournament Implications
Should the pools play out in line with the current world rankings, other top favourites like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would remain separated from both the English and the Irish until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining top-ranked nation on that half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Draw Major Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee fixture designed to jump-start the event.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and Romania. France are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will face Fiji, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the twenty who competed in France.
This edition will introduce a round of 16 stage for the first time in the competition's existence.
Although the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely the Italians – 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.
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
