England along with Welsh Pitted in the Same Group for 2027 Rugby World Cup Down Under

The English side together with their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a highly-anticipated early clash in Australia. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.

This draw mirrors their memorable meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the English team's shock group stage elimination.

Key Group Draws

The Irish alongside Scotland also share a pool once again, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, Ireland secured a convincing victory, with Scotland unable to progress to the knockout stages.

Los Teros and Os Lobos, both impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that Pool D.

Significantly, the winners of these two groups cannot meet holders and world number one South Africa until the final, assuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.

Tournament Ramifications

Should the groups play out according to the current world rankings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and Ireland until the championship decider.

In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.

Hosts Draw Major Opener

Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.

Australia will kick off the tournament in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee match aimed at launch the event.

Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the United States and Samoa.

Expanded Format for 2027

Los Pumas will face Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to 24 teams from the 20 who took part in France.

The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 round for the first time in the competition's history.

While the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts initially, they will meet the second-placed team from Group B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.

Four of the remaining six pool winners will face a third-placed side 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