The English side and their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same pool for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a major early clash in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Pool F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing echoes their famous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Group Draws
Ireland alongside Scotland have likewise been drawn in a group together, just as the scenario from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, they claimed a 36-14 win, with their opponents unable to progress to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Portugal, both impressed as surprise packages in France, round out that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from defending champions and top-ranked South Africa until the final, assuming the South Africans win their assigned pool.
Knockout Ramifications
If the groups conclude according to the current world rankings, further top favourites like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and the Irish until the final.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Opener
Hosts Australia have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at jump-start the event.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have drawn Italy, Georgia and Romania. France are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup expands to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 round for the very first time in the competition's history.
Although the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – probably the Italians – in the first knockout round.
Four of the other six pool winners will play 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
