The English side together with Wales will face off in an identical pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a highly-anticipated early encounter in Australia. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This draw mirrors their memorable meeting in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the English team's surprise group stage elimination.
Key Group Draws
Ireland alongside Scotland have likewise been drawn in a group together, just as the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they claimed a 36-14 win, with their opponents failing to progress to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Portugal, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, complete that same group.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked South Africa before the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.
Tournament Implications
Should the pools conclude according to the current world rankings, other top favourites like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both the English and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other top-ranked nation on that half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener
Hosts Australia find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to jump-start the competition.
In other groups, holders South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will face the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in France.
This edition will feature a last-16 round for the very first time in the competition's existence.
Although the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Group B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
Four of the other six pool winners will face a team that finished third from the pool stages.
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
