The English side together with their Welsh counterparts will face off in an identical pool for the 2027 RWC, setting up a major early clash in Australia. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw mirrors their famous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the English team's surprise group stage elimination.
Key Pool Pairings
Ireland alongside the Scots also share a group once again, just as the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they claimed a 36-14 win, with Scotland unable to progress to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, who each impressed as surprise packages in France, round out that same group.
Significantly, the victors of these two groups cannot meet holders and world number one the Springboks until the final, presuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.
Knockout Ramifications
Should the groups play out according to the current global standings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and France would remain separated from both England and Ireland all the way to the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Hosts Face Major Opener
Hosts Australia have been drawn together with their great rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Pool A.
Australia will open the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee match designed to jump-start the competition.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have drawn Italy, Georgia and Romania. France are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Los Pumas will face the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the twenty who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although the winner of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the rugby's heavyweights early on, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.
A total of four of the remaining six group winners will face a team that finished third from the initial group phase.
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
