The English side and Wales find themselves placed in the same pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a highly-anticipated early clash in Australia. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing echoes their infamous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham played a part in the English team's shock early exit.
Key Group Pairings
The Irish and Scotland also share a group together, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, Ireland secured a 36-14 victory, with their opponents unable to progress to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Portugal, who each impressed as underdogs in France, round out that same group.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and world number one South Africa before the showpiece match, assuming the Springboks win their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
If the groups play out in line with the current world rankings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and Ireland all the way to the final.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the remaining top-ranked nation on that half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Face Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their great rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Pool A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to launch the event.
Elsewhere, holders South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Argentina will face Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to twenty-four nations from the twenty who took part in 2023.
This edition will introduce a last-16 stage for the first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although the winner of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
Four of the remaining six group winners will play a team that finished third from the pool stages.
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
