🔗 Share this article The English along with Wales Drawn in the Same Group for RWC 2027 Down Under The group draw was conducted by rugby legends such as two-time World Cup winner Dan Carter. The English side and their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in an identical group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe. This draw mirrors their famous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground contributed to the English team's shock early exit. Other Notable Pool Draws The Irish and the Scots also share a pool together, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, they claimed a convincing win, with Scotland unable to progress to the quarter-finals. Uruguay and Portugal, both impressed as surprise packages in France, complete that Pool D. Notably, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from holders and world number one the Springboks before the final, assuming the Springboks top their own group. Tournament Implications If the pools play out in line with the current world rankings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from both the English and the Irish until the championship decider. Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams. Tournament Hosts Face Major Opener Hosts Australia have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A. Australia will open the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee fixture aimed at launch the competition. In other groups, holders South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the United States and Samoa. Larger Tournament for 2027 Los Pumas will take on the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the 20 who took part in 2023. The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 round for the very first time in the competition's history. While the victor of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will have to face the second-placed team from Group B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round. A total of four of the remaining six pool winners will play a third-placed side 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