England and their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same group for the 2027 RWC, setting up a major early clash in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing echoes their memorable clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the English team's shock early exit.
Other Notable Group Pairings
Ireland and Scotland also share a pool once again, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, Ireland secured a convincing win, with Scotland failing to advance to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Portugal, both impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that same group.
Notably, the victors of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks before the showpiece match, presuming the Springboks top their assigned pool.
Tournament Ramifications
If the pools play out according to the current world rankings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would remain separated from the likes of the English and Ireland all the way to the final.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the other top-ranked nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Opener
Hosts the Wallabies find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at jump-start the competition.
In other groups, reigning champions South Africa have drawn Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will face Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 round for the first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will meet the runner-up from Group B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six group winners will play 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
