The English side and their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in an identical group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a major early encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing recalls their infamous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at England's home ground played a part in the hosts' surprise early exit.
Key Group Draws
Ireland and the Scots also share a group together, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they claimed a 36-14 victory, with Scotland failing to progress to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in France, round out that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from holders and world number one South Africa before the final, presuming the Springboks win their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the groups play out according to the current world rankings, other top favourites like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart 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 half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at jump-start the event.
Elsewhere, holders South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a round of 16 round for the first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts early on, 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 other six pool winners will play a third-placed side from the pool stages.
RWC 2027 Draw
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
