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The English side together with Wales find themselves placed in an identical pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a highly-anticipated early clash in Australia. Completing the group in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.

This pairing mirrors their famous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the English team's shock group stage elimination.

Other Notable Pool Draws

The Irish and the Scots also share a pool once again, just as the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they secured a convincing win, with Scotland unable to advance to the knockout stages.

Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that same group.

Notably, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and top-ranked South Africa until the final, assuming the South Africans top their own group.

Knockout Implications

Should the groups play out in line with the current global standings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both the English and Ireland all the way to the final.

In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the other highly-seeded nation on that side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.

Hosts Draw Blockbuster Opener

Hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their great rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.

The Wallabies will open the World Cup in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee match designed to launch the competition.

Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.

Expanded Format for 2027

Los Pumas will face Fiji, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in 2023.

This edition will feature a last-16 round for the first time in the competition's history.

Although the victor of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely Italy – in the last 16.

Four of the other six group winners will face a third-placed side from the initial group phase.

Rugby World Cup 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