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England together with their Welsh counterparts will face off in an identical group for the 2027 RWC, setting up a major pool stage clash in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.

This draw echoes their famous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' surprise group stage elimination.

Key Pool Pairings

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

Los Teros and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in France, round out that Pool D.

Notably, the winners of these two groups cannot meet holders and world number one the Springboks before the showpiece match, presuming the Springboks win their own group.

Tournament Ramifications

Should the groups conclude in line with the current world rankings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from both England and Ireland until the final.

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

Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture

Hosts Australia find themselves together with their great rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A.

The Wallabies will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at jump-start the event.

Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.

Expanded Tournament for 2027

Argentina will face Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in France.

The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 round for the first time in Rugby World Cup existence.

Although the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Group B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.

Four of the other six pool winners will play 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