England together with their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in an identical group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a highly-anticipated early encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw mirrors their infamous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the English team's surprise early exit.
Other Notable Group Pairings
Ireland and the Scots also share a pool together, just as the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they claimed a 36-14 victory, with their opponents failing to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, round out that Pool D.
Significantly, the victors of these two groups cannot meet holders and top-ranked the Springboks before the final, assuming the Springboks top their own group.
Knockout Implications
If the groups play out according to the current global standings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would remain separated from the likes of England and the Irish all the way to the final.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture
Hosts Australia find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at jump-start the event.
In other groups, reigning champions South Africa have drawn Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with Japan, future hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will take on the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in France.
This edition will feature a last-16 stage for the first time in the competition's existence.
While the winner of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – probably the Italians – in the last 16.
Four of the other six group winners will face a team that finished third 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
