The English side together with their Welsh counterparts will face off in an identical pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a major pool stage encounter in Australia. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This draw echoes their famous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the English team's surprise group stage elimination.
Key Pool Pairings
Ireland and Scotland also share a pool once again, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they claimed a 36-14 win, with their opponents unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that Pool D.
Significantly, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from holders and top-ranked the Springboks until the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans top their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
If the pools play out according to the current world rankings, other top favourites like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from the likes of England and the Irish until the final.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on that half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Hosts Face Major Opener
Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn together with their great rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee fixture designed to jump-start the competition.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with Japan, future hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will face the Flying Fijians, Spain and Canada as the World Cup grows to 24 teams from the 20 who took part in 2023.
This edition will introduce a last-16 stage for the first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's biggest beasts initially, they will have to face the runner-up from Group B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six pool winners will play a team that finished third from the pool stages.
Rugby World Cup 2027 Draw
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
