🔗 Share this article England and Welsh Drawn 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. The English side and their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a major pool stage encounter in Australia. Completing the group in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe. This pairing mirrors their famous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at England's home ground contributed to the English team's shock group stage elimination. Key Pool Draws The Irish and the Scots also share a pool once again, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, Ireland secured a convincing victory, with Scotland failing to advance to the knockout stages. Los Teros and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that same group. Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from holders and top-ranked the Springboks before the final, presuming the Springboks win their own group. Tournament Implications If the groups play out in line with the current global standings, other leading contenders like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from the likes of England and Ireland all the way to the championship decider. Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams. Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture Hosts the Wallabies have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A. The Wallabies will open the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee fixture designed to jump-start the competition. In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Manu Samoa. Larger Format for 2027 Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in France. This edition will feature a last-16 stage for the very first time in the competition's history. While the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights initially, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – probably the Italians – 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 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