🔗 Share this article The English and Wales Placed Together for RWC 2027 Down Under The pool stage draw was conducted by sporting icons such as two-time World Cup winner Dan Carter. The English side together with Wales have been drawn in the same pool for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a major pool stage clash in Australia. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables. This pairing echoes their infamous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the hosts' surprise group stage elimination. Key Pool Pairings Ireland alongside Scotland have likewise been drawn in a pool together, replicating the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they claimed a convincing victory, with Scotland failing to advance to the quarter-finals. Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, round out that Pool D. Significantly, the victors of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks until the showpiece match, presuming the Springboks top their own group. Tournament Ramifications If the pools play out according to the current world rankings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would remain separated from both England and Ireland all the way to the final. Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland. Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture Hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Pool A. The Wallabies will kick off the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to jump-start the competition. In other groups, reigning champions South Africa have drawn Italy, Georgia and Romania. France are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the United States and Samoa. Larger Format for 2027 Los Pumas will face the Flying Fijians, Spain and Canada as the tournament grows to twenty-four nations from the twenty who took part in 2023. This edition 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 be kept apart from some of the game's biggest beasts initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Group B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round. Four of the remaining six group winners will play a team that finished third from the initial group phase. 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