The English side together with their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in an identical pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a major early encounter in Australia. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This pairing echoes their famous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at England's home ground contributed to the English team's shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
The Irish alongside the Scots have likewise been drawn in a pool once again, just as the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they claimed a convincing win, with their opponents unable to progress to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Portugal, who each impressed as surprise packages in France, round out that same group.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet holders and world number one the Springboks before the final, presuming the Springboks win their own group.
Knockout Implications
Should the groups conclude in line with the current global standings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from both the English and Ireland until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Major Opener
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will open the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee match designed to launch the event.
In other groups, holders South Africa have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will face Fiji, Spain and Canada as the World Cup expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although 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 Group B – probably the Italians – in the first knockout round.
Four of the other six group winners will face a team that finished third from the initial group phase.
RWC 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
