🔗 Share this article The English and Welsh Placed in the Same Group for RWC 2027 in Australia The group draw was overseen by sporting legends such as two-time World Cup winner Dan Carter. The English side and Wales find themselves placed in the same pool for the 2027 RWC, setting up a highly-anticipated early clash in Australia. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables. This pairing mirrors their infamous clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at England's home ground played a part in the hosts' shock early exit. Other Notable Pool Draws The Irish and Scotland have likewise been drawn in a pool together, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a convincing win, with Scotland unable to progress to the knockout stages. Los Teros and Os Lobos, both impressed as surprise packages in France, round out that same group. Significantly, the winners of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked South Africa until the final, presuming the South Africans top their assigned pool. Tournament Ramifications Should the pools play out in line with the current world rankings, further top favourites like New Zealand and Les Bleus would remain separated from the likes of the English and the Irish until the championship decider. In that scenario, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland. Hosts Face Blockbuster Fixture Hosts Australia find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A. The Wallabies will open the World Cup in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to jump-start the competition. Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the United States and Manu Samoa. Larger Tournament for 2027 Los Pumas will take on the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to 24 teams from the twenty who competed in 2023. This edition will introduce a last-16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history. While the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Group B – probably the Italians – in the first knockout round. Four of the remaining six pool winners will face a team that finished third from the initial group phase. Rugby World Cup 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