England and their Welsh counterparts will face off in an identical pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a major pool stage encounter in Australia. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This pairing recalls their infamous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the English team's shock early exit.
Other Notable Group Pairings
The Irish alongside the Scots also share a group once again, replicating the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, Ireland secured a convincing victory, with their opponents unable to progress to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that same group.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from defending champions and top-ranked South Africa until the final, presuming the South Africans top their own group.
Knockout Implications
If the pools play out according to the current world rankings, other top favourites like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and the Irish until the final.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on that side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Face Blockbuster Fixture
Hosts Australia have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.
The Wallabies will open the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to jump-start the competition.
In other groups, holders South Africa have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will face the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 round for the very first time in the competition's history.
Although the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the rugby's biggest beasts initially, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the remaining six pool winners will face a third-placed side 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
