The English side and their Welsh counterparts will face off in an identical pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a highly-anticipated early encounter in Australia. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing mirrors their famous clash in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' shock early exit.
Key Pool Pairings
Ireland alongside the Scots also share a pool together, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, Ireland secured a 36-14 victory, with their opponents unable to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that Pool D.
Notably, the victors of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and world number one South Africa until the final, presuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Knockout Ramifications
If the pools conclude according to 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 final.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Blockbuster Opener
Hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.
The Wallabies will kick off the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to launch the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn Italy, Georgia and Romania. France are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will face Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in France.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights early on, they will have to face the second-placed team from Group B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the remaining six group winners will face a team that finished third from the initial group phase.
Rugby World Cup 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
