The English side together with their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in Australia. Completing the group in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This draw echoes their memorable meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the English team's shock early exit.
Other Notable Group Draws
The Irish and the Scots have likewise been drawn in a pool together, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a convincing win, with their opponents unable to advance to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, both impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from defending champions and world number one South Africa until the final, assuming the South Africans top their own group.
Knockout Ramifications
If the pools play out in line with the current world rankings, further top favourites like New Zealand and Les Bleus would remain separated from the likes of England and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on that side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Draw Major Opener
Tournament hosts the Wallabies have been drawn alongside their great rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with Italy, Georgia and Romania. 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, Spain and Canada as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in 2023.
This edition will feature a last-16 stage for the first time in the competition's history.
While the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the rugby's biggest beasts initially, they will meet the runner-up from Group B – probably 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.
Rugby World Cup 2027 Groups
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
