The English side and their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in an identical group for the World Cup in 2027, promising a major early clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw echoes their memorable meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the English team's shock group stage elimination.
Key Group Draws
Ireland and Scotland also share a pool together, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they secured a convincing victory, with Scotland failing to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, both impressed as surprise packages in France, round out that same group.
Notably, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and world number one South Africa before the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans win their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the pools play out in line with the current world rankings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and France would remain separated from the likes of the English and Ireland until the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Draw Major Fixture
Hosts the Wallabies find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will open the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in France.
This edition will feature a round of 16 stage for the first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the victor of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the game's biggest beasts initially, they will have to face the runner-up from Group B – probably the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the remaining six group winners will play a team that finished third 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
