🔗 Share this article England and Wales Pitted in the Same Group for RWC 2027 in Australia The group draw was conducted by sporting legends including two-time World Cup winner Dan Carter. England and Wales find themselves placed in an identical pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a major early encounter in Australia. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables. This draw echoes their famous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at England's home ground contributed to the English team's shock early exit. Key Pool Draws Ireland and the Scots also share a pool together, just as the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they secured a 36-14 win, with their opponents failing to advance to the quarter-finals. Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that Pool D. Significantly, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from holders and top-ranked South Africa before the showpiece match, assuming the Springboks win their own group. Knockout Ramifications Should the pools play out in line with the current world rankings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would remain separated from the likes of England and the Irish until the final. Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on that half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams. Tournament Hosts Face Major Opener Hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A. The Wallabies will open the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at jump-start the competition. In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa. Larger Tournament for 2027 Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in France. This edition will feature a last-16 stage for the first time in the competition's existence. While the winner of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the rugby's heavyweights early on, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – most likely Italy – in the last 16. Four of the remaining six group 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