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The English side and their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.

This draw recalls their famous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the English team's shock group stage elimination.

Other Notable Group Pairings

Ireland and Scotland also share a pool together, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, they secured a 36-14 victory, with Scotland failing to progress to the knockout stages.

Uruguay and Portugal, 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 before the final, assuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.

Knockout Implications

Should the pools conclude according to the current global standings, other top favourites like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both England and Ireland until the final.

In that scenario, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.

Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Opener

Hosts the Wallabies have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.

Australia will open 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 South Africa have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.

Expanded Format for 2027

Argentina will face Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team 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 existence.

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

A total of four of the remaining six group winners will face a team that finished third from the initial group phase.

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