🔗 Share this article The English and Welsh Placed in the Same Group for RWC 2027 in Australia The pool stage draw was overseen by sporting legends including two-time World Cup winner Dan Carter. England together with their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in the same group for the World Cup in 2027, promising a major early clash in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables. This pairing mirrors their famous clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the hosts' shock group stage elimination. Key Group Draws Ireland and Scotland have likewise been drawn in a group together, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, Ireland claimed a convincing victory, with their opponents unable to advance to the knockout stages. Los Teros and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as underdogs in France, complete that Pool D. Notably, the winners of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked South Africa until the final, presuming the Springboks top their assigned pool. Tournament Ramifications If the groups conclude according to the current world rankings, further leading contenders like New Zealand 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 other top-ranked nation on that side of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams. Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener 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 World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee fixture aimed at launch the competition. In other groups, holders South Africa have drawn Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Manu Samoa. Larger Tournament for 2027 Los Pumas will face Fiji, Los Leones 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 round of 16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history. Although the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights early on, they will have to face the second-placed team from Group B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round. Four of the other six pool winners will face a team that finished third from the pool stages. RWC 2027 Draw 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