The English side and their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same pool for the 2027 RWC, promising a highly-anticipated early encounter in Australia. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing mirrors their memorable clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the English team's shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
The Irish and Scotland also share a pool together, replicating the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they secured a convincing win, with their opponents unable to progress to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Portugal, both impressed as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from holders and world number one South Africa until the final, assuming the South Africans win their own group.
Tournament Implications
Should the pools play out according to the current world rankings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would remain separated from both the English and Ireland all the way to the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other highly-seeded nation on that side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener
Hosts the Wallabies have been drawn together with 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 marquee fixture designed to launch the competition.
In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have been paired with Italy, Georgia and Romania. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in 2023.
This edition will introduce a last-16 round for the first time in the competition's existence.
While the winner of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the rugby's biggest beasts early on, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – probably Italy – in the last 16.
Four of the other six pool winners will face a team that finished third from the initial group phase.
RWC 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
