The English and Welsh Pitted Together for RWC 2027 in Australia

England together with their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a highly-anticipated early encounter in Australia. Completing the group in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.

This pairing mirrors their famous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the English team's shock group stage elimination.

Key Pool Pairings

The Irish and the Scots have likewise been drawn in a group once again, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they secured a convincing win, with their opponents failing to progress to the knockout stages.

Uruguay and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that Pool D.

Notably, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and world number one the Springboks until the final, assuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.

Knockout Implications

Should the pools conclude in line with the current global standings, other leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would remain separated from both England and Ireland until the final.

Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the remaining top-ranked nation on that side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.

Tournament Hosts Face Major Fixture

Tournament hosts Australia find themselves together with their great rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.

The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee match aimed at jump-start the event.

In other groups, holders the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are grouped with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Samoa.

Expanded Tournament for 2027

Argentina will face the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in France.

This edition will introduce 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 early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.

A total of four of the remaining six pool winners will face a team that finished third from the pool stages.

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