🔗 Share this article England along with Welsh Placed in the Same Group for 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia The pool stage draw was conducted by rugby icons such as two-time World Cup winner Dan Carter. England together with their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in an identical group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a highly-anticipated early clash in Australia. Completing the group in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe. This pairing recalls their memorable clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the English team's shock early exit. Key Group Draws The Irish and the Scots have likewise been drawn in a group once again, just as the situation from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, they secured a convincing victory, with their opponents unable to progress to the quarter-finals. Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each impressed as surprise packages in France, complete that same group. Significantly, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from holders and world number one the Springboks until the showpiece match, assuming the Springboks top their assigned pool. Tournament Ramifications Should the pools conclude in line with the current global standings, other leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would remain separated from the likes of the English and the Irish all the way to the championship decider. Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other top-ranked nation on the same side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland. Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Opener Hosts Australia find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Pool A. Australia will open the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at jump-start the competition. Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have drawn Italy, Georgia and Romania. France are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa. Expanded Tournament for 2027 Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Spain and Canada as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the twenty who competed in 2023. The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 round for the first time in the competition's history. Although the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights initially, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round. Four of the remaining six group winners will face a third-placed side 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