France have been handed a favourable path at the 2027 Rugby World Cup, raising hopes of a deep run in Australia.
The French rugby team could hardly have wished for better. Drawn alongside Japan, the United States and Samoa, Les Bleus hit the jackpot on Wednesday as the pools for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia were unveiled – setting them on what looks like a remarkably clear path to the semi-finals.
Fabien Galthié’s side are widely expected to top Pool E with ease, before the tournament’s real hurdles begin.
Only in the last four are Les Bleus likely to hit a genuine wall of resistance, in the form of the winner of a probable quarter-final clash between two southern-hemisphere giants: back-to-back world champions South Africa, and three-time winners New Zealand.
France, still chasing their first global crown despite six semi-final appearances and three final heartbreaks in 1987, 1999 and 2011, could also be in for a knock-out opener.
Scotland – tipped to finish runners-up to Ireland in Pool D – loom as potential round-of-16 opponents.
Victory there would likely send them into a quarter-final against the winner of what many expect to be a Wales–Fiji showdown.
With the 12th-, 16th- and 19th-ranked teams in the world joining France in Pool E, the draw was undeniably kind to Galthié’s men.
The ceremony itself was held at the Sydney headquarters of broadcaster Stan Sport and overseen by recently retired Wallabies prop James Slipper, capped 151 times, and former Australian Sevens standout Alicia Lucas.
This tounament will break new ground as the first World Cup to feature 24 teams instead of 20 – and the first to include a round of 16.
It also marks the tournament’s return to Australia for the first time since 2003, the only year in which a northern-hemisphere side lifted the trophy, courtesy of Jonny Wilkinson’s immortal drop goal for England.
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All Blacks or Springboks await
As one of the world’s top six sides, France sat safely in Band 1 and therefore avoided the heavyweights of South Africa, New Zealand, England, Ireland and Argentina in the pool phase.
With Japan drawn from Band 2, they landed arguably the softest contender available from that tier.
But the good fortune ends there. Assuming France negotiate Scotland in the first knock-out round, a towering semi-final awaits – a half of the draw stacked with the world’s No.1 and No.2 sides, the Springboks and the All Blacks.
A meeting with New Zealand would revive memories of the finals lost in 1987 and 2011, while a showdown with South Africa would let Les Bleus revisit the sting of their agonising 28–29 exit in the 2023 quarter-final in Paris.
Elsewhere, the draw served up several enticing pool combinations: the Springboks meet Italy in Pool B, while the All Blacks renew their trans-Tasman Sea rivalry with hosts Australia in Pool A.
From six groups – A through F – the top two sides plus the four best third-placed finishers will progress to the round of 16.
Upsets are not expected early on, though France–Scotland carries a frisson of possibility.
The quarter-finals, however, are shaping up well. This bracket teases potential clashes between South Africa and New Zealand, Argentina and Ireland, and even a nostalgic England–Australia encounter – a rematch of the 2003 final that still haunts Wallaby supporters.
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Tight schedule and a wait for details
The 2027 event will feature 52 matches, four more than the 2023 World Cup, but squeezed into just six weeks – one fewer than France’s home tournament last year.
Play begins on 1 October and wraps up on 13 November.
What we do know is that Australia will kick off proceedings at Kings Park in Perth, and Sydney will stage the final.
Everything else – the venues and dates for the remaining 50 matches – will be revealed on 3 February.
Only then will France learn where their pool fixtures will be held across the remaining host cities – Melbourne, Adelaide, Townsville, Newcastle and Brisbane, which is gearing up to host the 2032 Olympics.
After that, Galthié and his squad will have roughly 18 months to fine-tune their assault on the Webb Ellis Cup – a prize they have so often threatened to win, but never quite managed to grasp, falling short even at the quarter-final stage in both 2015 and 2023.
(with newswires)
