The English side together with Wales find themselves placed in an identical pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a major early encounter in Australia. Completing the group in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing mirrors their memorable clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the English team's surprise early exit.
Key Group Pairings
Ireland and Scotland have likewise been drawn in a pool together, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they claimed a convincing victory, with Scotland unable to progress to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Portugal, both made a strong impression as underdogs in France, round out that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from holders and top-ranked the Springboks until the final, presuming the Springboks top their own group.
Tournament Implications
If the groups play out in line with the current global standings, other leading contenders like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from both England and the Irish all the way to the final.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same side of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Opener
Hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Pool A.
The Wallabies will open the World Cup in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at launch the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 round for the first time in the competition's history.
Although the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Group B – probably the Italians – in the last 16.
Four of the remaining six pool winners will play a third-placed side 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
