The English side together with Wales find themselves placed in an identical pool 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 infamous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' shock early exit.
Key Pool Pairings
The Irish and the Scots have likewise been drawn in a group together, just as the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a 36-14 victory, with their opponents unable to advance to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that Pool D.
Significantly, the victors of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and world number one the Springboks before the final, presuming the South Africans top their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
If the pools conclude according to the current global standings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would remain separated from both the English and Ireland until the final.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the remaining top-ranked nation on that half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Opener
Hosts the Wallabies find themselves together with their great rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A.
The Wallabies will open the tournament 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, Georgia and Romania. France are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 stage for the first time in the competition's history.
While the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's biggest beasts initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Group B – probably the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six pool winners will play a third-placed side 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
