England together with Wales have been drawn in an identical pool for the 2027 RWC, setting up a major early clash in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Pool F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw echoes their infamous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the English team's surprise group stage elimination.
Key Pool Pairings
The Irish and the Scots also share a pool once again, replicating the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they claimed a convincing victory, with Scotland unable to advance to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that Pool D.
Significantly, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet holders and top-ranked South Africa before the final, assuming the South Africans win their own group.
Tournament Implications
Should the groups conclude in line with the current world rankings, other top favourites like the All Blacks and France would remain separated from the likes of the English and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that half of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Opener
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Pool A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee match aimed at jump-start the event.
In other groups, holders South Africa have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Spain and Canada as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 stage for the first time in the competition's history.
While the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts initially, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.
A total of four of the other 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
