The English side and Wales will face off in an identical group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a major pool stage clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing echoes their memorable meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the English team's shock early exit.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
Ireland and Scotland also share a group once again, just as the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they secured a 36-14 victory, with their opponents failing to progress to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, round out that same group.
Notably, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and world number one South Africa until the final, assuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Knockout Implications
If the pools conclude in line with the current world rankings, further top favourites like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from both the English and the Irish until the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Pool A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to jump-start the event.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are grouped with Japan, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Argentina will face Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 stage for the first time in the competition's history.
Although the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights early on, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.
A total of four of the remaining six pool winners will face a third-placed side 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
