The English and Welsh Drawn in the Same Group for RWC 2027 in Australia

England and their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.

This pairing mirrors their famous clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at England's home ground played a part in the English team's shock early exit.

Key Pool Pairings

The Irish and Scotland have likewise been drawn in a pool together, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, they claimed a 36-14 victory, with their opponents unable to progress to the knockout stages.

Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that same group.

Significantly, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and world number one the Springboks until the showpiece match, presuming the South Africans top their own group.

Tournament Implications

If the pools conclude according to the current world rankings, further top favourites like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both England and the Irish until the championship decider.

Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other highly-seeded nation on that half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.

Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Opener

Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A.

The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to jump-start the competition.

In other groups, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with Italy, Georgia and Romania. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.

Larger Format for 2027

Los Pumas will face the Flying Fijians, Spain and Canada as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in France.

The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 round for the very first time in the competition's history.

While the victor of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the rugby's heavyweights initially, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool 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 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