All Blacks meet hosts Australia in mouthwatering clash…

All Blacks meet hosts Australia in mouthwatering clash as England face Wales at 2027 Rugby World Cup

Hosts Australia have been handed a tough draw for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, going up against fierce rivals New Zealand in Pool A in what will be a mouthwatering curtain-raiser to the tournament.

England will play neighbours Wales in Pool F, which also features Tonga and Zimbabwe. Scotland and Ireland have also been drawn together, alongside Portugal and Uruguay in what could be a competitive Pool D.

South Africa, the reigning champions, will play Italy, Georgia and Romania in Pool B, and the Springboks are likely to face either Australia or New Zealand in a blockbuster quarter-final.

France are in the same half of the draw as the heavyweight southern hemisphere teams and will be the most likely semi-final opponents for either the All Blacks or Springboks if they were to meet in the quarter-finals. The French will play Japan, USA and Samoa in Pool E, in perhaps the kindest draw among the top-tier teams.

England and Ireland will both be relieved to be on the opposite side of the draw, and topping their respective pools would make them unlikely to face any of South Africa, France or New Zealand until the final.

Should England beat Wales and top Pool F, then their most likely round-of-16 opponents would be Italy, ahead of a possible quarter-final with hosts Australia, before a potential semi-final meeting with Ireland or Argentina.

South Africa’s Siya Kolisi lifts the Webb Ellis Cup in 2023 (David Davies/PA)

The 2027 edition has been expanded by four teams as rugby’s signature event heads Down Under for the first time since England’s triumph in 2003.

A 24-team tournament brings a revamped format with six pools of four sides drawn and a round of 16 introduced. The format, changed for the first time in two decades, allows four third-placed teams from the six groups to progress from the pool stage.

The new format robbed the draw of much of its jeopardy and there will be few big early clashes, barring the Wallabies taking on the All Blacks in the tournament opener – the first meeting between the neighbours in the pool stage.

Although Australia have a tough opening match, the Wallabies have a relatively kind path to the latter stages of the tournament, despite failing to break into the top six seeds after winning only five of 15 tests this year.

The path to the Rugby World Cup 2027 (RWC)

The expanded tournament not only decreases the chance of Australia repeating their humiliating pool-stage exit from the 2023 World Cup, but also means that if they finish second in the pool, they would play the second-placed finishers in Pool E in their first knockout match. If the current rankings hold, that would mean a last 16 clash with Eddie Jones’s Japan before a quarter-final against England.

The 2027 Rugby World Cup will take place in seven cities around Australia – Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Newcastle, Townsville and Perth – from 1 October to 13 November.