The English side together with their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same group for the 2027 RWC, promising a highly-anticipated early encounter in Australia. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This pairing mirrors their memorable meeting in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham played a part in the English team's shock early exit.
Other Notable Group Pairings
Ireland alongside Scotland also share a pool together, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, they claimed a 36-14 victory, with their opponents failing to advance to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, complete that Pool D.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked South Africa until the final, assuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the pools conclude according to the current world rankings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and France would remain separated from both the English and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Face Blockbuster Fixture
Hosts the Wallabies have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Pool A.
Australia will open the tournament in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee match designed to launch the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will take on the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a round of 16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Group B – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.
A total of four of the other six group winners will face 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
