England along with Welsh Drawn Together for 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia

The English side together with Wales have been drawn in the same group for the 2027 RWC, setting up a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Pool F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.

This pairing echoes their infamous clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' surprise early exit.

Other Notable Group Pairings

Ireland alongside the Scots also share a pool once again, just as the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they secured a convincing win, with their opponents unable to progress to the quarter-finals.

Los Teros and Os Lobos, who each impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that same group.

Notably, the victors of these two groups cannot meet holders and top-ranked the Springboks until the final, assuming the South Africans win their own group.

Tournament Ramifications

Should the pools play out according to the current global standings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would remain separated from the likes of the English and Ireland until the championship decider.

In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same half of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.

Hosts Draw Blockbuster Opener

Tournament hosts Australia find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Pool A.

Australia will kick off the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee fixture aimed at jump-start the competition.

In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.

Larger Format for 2027

Los Pumas will face the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in 2023.

The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.

While the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely Italy – in the last 16.

A total of four of the other six group winners will play a team that finished third from the pool stages.

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