🔗 Share this article The English along with Wales Drawn Together for 2027 Rugby World Cup Down Under The pool stage draw was conducted by sporting icons including former All Black Dan Carter. England and their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in the same group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a highly-anticipated early encounter in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables. This draw echoes their infamous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' shock group stage elimination. Key Group Draws Ireland alongside Scotland also share a pool once again, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a 36-14 victory, with Scotland failing to advance to the quarter-finals. Los Teros and Os Lobos, who each impressed as surprise packages in France, round out 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 showpiece match, assuming the Springboks top their assigned pool. Tournament Ramifications If the pools conclude according to the current global standings, other top favourites like New Zealand 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 remaining highly-seeded nation on that half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland. Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn alongside their great rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Pool A. The Wallabies will open the World Cup in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee fixture designed to jump-start the competition. Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. France are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the United States and Samoa. Larger Tournament for 2027 Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Spain and Canada as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in 2023. This edition will feature a round of 16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history. Although the victor of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the game's biggest beasts initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round. A total of four of the remaining six group winners will face a team that finished third from the initial group phase. Rugby World Cup 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