England and their Welsh counterparts will face off in an identical pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in Australia. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This draw echoes their infamous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' surprise group stage elimination.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
The Irish and Scotland also share a group once again, replicating the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they claimed a convincing win, with Scotland unable to advance to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Portugal, who each impressed as underdogs in France, round out that Pool D.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups cannot meet holders and world number one the Springboks before the showpiece match, presuming the South Africans top their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the pools play out in line with the current world rankings, other leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and Ireland all the way to the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Opener
Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn together with their great rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Pool A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee fixture aimed at launch the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. France are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will face Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although the victor of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights early on, they will meet the runner-up from Group B – most likely Italy – in the last 16.
A total of four of the remaining six pool winners will play a third-placed side from the initial group phase.
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
