The English side and their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a highly-anticipated early encounter in Australia. Completing the group in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing recalls their infamous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham played a part in the English team's surprise early exit.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
Ireland and Scotland also share a group together, just as the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they secured a 36-14 victory, with their opponents unable to advance to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that same group.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and world number one the Springboks before the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans top their own group.
Knockout Implications
If the pools play out according to the current global standings, other top favourites like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from the likes of England and Ireland until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the other top-ranked nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Face Blockbuster Fixture
Hosts Australia have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee match aimed at jump-start the event.
In other groups, reigning champions South Africa have drawn Italy, Georgia and Romania. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Argentina will face Fiji, Spain and Canada as the World Cup expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although the victor of England and Wales's group 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.
Four of the remaining six pool winners will face a third-placed side from the pool stages.
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
