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England and Wales find themselves placed in the same pool for the 2027 RWC, setting up a major pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.

This pairing echoes their famous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the English team's surprise early exit.

Key Pool Pairings

The Irish and the Scots also share a pool once again, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they claimed a 36-14 victory, with their opponents failing to advance to the knockout stages.

Los Teros and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, complete that same group.

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

Tournament Implications

Should the pools conclude according to the current global standings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both the English and the Irish all the way to the final.

Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other highly-seeded nation on that side of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.

Tournament Hosts Face Major Fixture

Tournament hosts the Wallabies have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A.

Australia will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to launch the competition.

In other groups, holders the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. France are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.

Larger Tournament for 2027

Argentina will take on Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup expands to 24 teams from the twenty who competed in 2023.

The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 stage for the very first time in the competition's existence.

Although the victor of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.

A total of four of the other six pool winners will play a team that finished third from the initial group phase.

Rugby World Cup 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