The English side and their Welsh counterparts will face off in an identical group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a major pool stage clash in Australia. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This draw mirrors their infamous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground contributed to the hosts' shock early exit.
Key Group Pairings
The Irish alongside the Scots have likewise been drawn in a group once again, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they secured a 36-14 win, with their opponents unable to progress to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, both impressed as underdogs 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, assuming the Springboks top their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the groups conclude in line with the current world rankings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would remain separated from the likes of the English and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same side of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Face Major Fixture
Hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will open the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee fixture designed to jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have drawn Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will take on the Flying Fijians, Spain and Canada as the tournament grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 round for the very first time in the competition's history.
Although the victor of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the rugby's biggest beasts early on, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.
Four of the remaining 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
