🔗 Share this article England and Wales Drawn Together for RWC 2027 in Australia The pool stage draw was conducted by rugby legends such as two-time World Cup winner Dan Carter. England and their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in the same group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a major pool stage encounter in Australia. Completing the group in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables. This pairing echoes their memorable meeting in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' surprise group stage elimination. Key Pool Draws Ireland alongside the Scots have likewise been drawn in a group once again, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a convincing win, with their opponents unable to advance to the quarter-finals. Los Teros and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that Pool D. Significantly, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet holders and world number one the Springboks until the final, presuming the South Africans top their own group. Tournament Implications If the groups conclude in line with the current global standings, further top favourites like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and the Irish until the championship decider. Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland. Tournament Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener Tournament hosts Australia find themselves together with their great rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Pool A. The Wallabies will open the tournament in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at launch the competition. Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have drawn Italy, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Manu Samoa. Larger Format for 2027 Los Pumas will take on the Flying Fijians, Spain and Canada as the World Cup expands to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in 2023. The 2027 tournament will feature a round of 16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup existence. Although the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the rugby's biggest beasts initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – probably the Italians – in the first knockout round. A total of four of the other six group 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