The English side together with their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same pool for the 2027 RWC, setting up a major early clash in Australia. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This draw echoes their famous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at England's home ground played a part in the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Key Group Draws
The Irish and the Scots also share a pool together, just as the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they claimed a 36-14 win, with Scotland failing to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, both impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that same group.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks until the final, assuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Knockout Ramifications
Should the groups play out in line with the current world rankings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and France would remain separated from both the English and the Irish until the final.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other top-ranked nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Face Blockbuster Fixture
Hosts the Wallabies have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to jump-start the event.
Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have drawn Italy, the Lelos and Romania. France are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will face Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the victor 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 Group B – probably Italy – in the last 16.
A total of four of the other six group winners will play a third-placed side from the initial group phase.
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
