England together with Wales find themselves placed in an identical group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw recalls their infamous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' surprise early exit.
Other Notable Pool Draws
Ireland alongside Scotland have likewise been drawn in a pool once again, just as the situation from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, Ireland secured a 36-14 victory, with Scotland unable to progress to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each impressed as surprise packages in France, complete that same group.
Significantly, the victors of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and world number one South Africa before the final, assuming the South Africans top their own group.
Knockout Implications
If the pools play out according to the current global standings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would remain separated from the likes of the English and the Irish until the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that half of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Face Major Opener
Hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at launch the event.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will take on the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the World Cup expands to 24 teams from the twenty who competed in France.
This edition will introduce a last-16 stage for the first time in the competition's existence.
While the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights early on, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – probably the Italians – in the last 16.
A total of four of the other six group winners will face 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
