The English side and their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a major pool stage clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing recalls their memorable clash in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the English team's shock group stage elimination.
Key Group Pairings
Ireland alongside the Scots have likewise been drawn in a pool once again, just as the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a 36-14 win, with their opponents unable to progress to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, who each impressed as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that Pool D.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks until the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.
Tournament Implications
If the groups play out according to the current world rankings, other top favourites like the All Blacks and France would remain separated from the likes of England and Ireland until the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other top-ranked nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Major Opener
Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to jump-start the event.
In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in 2023.
This edition will introduce a last-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 second-placed team from Pool B – probably the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the remaining six group 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
