The English side and their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in an identical pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a major pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing recalls their memorable clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the English team's surprise early exit.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
Ireland and the Scots also share a pool once again, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they secured a convincing win, with their opponents unable to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from holders and world number one South Africa before the final, presuming the Springboks win their own group.
Knockout Implications
Should the pools play out according to the current world rankings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from both the English and Ireland until the final.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the other top-ranked nation on that half of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee fixture designed to jump-start the competition.
In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 stage for the very first time in the competition's existence.
Although the winner of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – probably Italy – in the last 16.
Four of the other six group winners will play a third-placed side from the pool stages.
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
