🔗 Share this article The English and Welsh Pitted Together for 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia The group draw was overseen by rugby legends such as former All Black Dan Carter. The English side together with Wales find themselves placed in the same group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a highly-anticipated early clash in Australia. Completing the group in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe. This draw echoes their infamous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at England's home ground played a part in the English team's shock group stage elimination. Other Notable Pool Draws The Irish and the Scots have likewise been drawn in a group once again, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they secured a convincing victory, with their opponents unable to progress to the quarter-finals. Los Teros and Portugal, both impressed as surprise packages in France, complete that Pool D. Significantly, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from defending champions and top-ranked South Africa until the final, assuming the Springboks top their own group. Knockout Implications If the pools play out in line with the current world rankings, further top favourites like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and Ireland all the way to the final. In that scenario, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland. Hosts Draw Major Fixture Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A. The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee fixture designed to jump-start the competition. Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa. Larger Tournament for 2027 Argentina will take on Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in 2023. The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 stage for the very first time in the competition's history. Although the winner of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – probably the Italians – in the last 16. A total of four of the remaining six group winners will play a team that finished third from the pool stages. 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