England together with their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a major early encounter in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing mirrors their infamous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at England's home ground played a part in the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Key Group Draws
Ireland and Scotland also share a pool once again, just as the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland secured a 36-14 victory, with Scotland unable to progress to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Portugal, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, complete that Pool D.
Significantly, the victors of these two groups cannot meet holders and top-ranked the Springboks before the showpiece match, assuming the Springboks top their assigned pool.
Tournament Ramifications
If the groups play out in line with the current global standings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from the likes of England and Ireland until the final.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Draw Major Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Pool A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at launch the competition.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. France are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in France.
This edition will introduce a last-16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although the victor of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts initially, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – probably Italy – 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
