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Rugby World Cup 2027: the pools
Quick GuideRugby World Cup 2027 draw
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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
Joe Schmidt is confirming that there’ll be no ongoing role for him with Australian rugby after his contract runs its term in mid-2026 and there’ll be no fourth World Cup for him in 2027. Instead he’ll happily hand over the Wallabies to Queensland Reds boss Les Kiss, his former right-hand man during Ireland’s glory days “and we’ll be in contact anyway.”
I’ll be in the stadium watching. Rugby World Cups are special. The atmosphere builds into a crescendo on match days. I’m excited it’s only two years away… and in some other ways I can’t wait to not be involved because it’s pretty nerve-wracking!
That’s it for tonight’s 2027 World Cup draw, folks. Thanks for your texts and emails and good luck plotting a path to the final for your team!
England rugby fans, are we happy?
Although it will be his former protege at Ireland, Les Kiss, who will lead Australia’s 2027 campaign, current Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has seen the same “clumps” of ancient enemies I have and is excited by the challenge ahead…
“Wales v England, Ireland v Scotland… there are a lot of match-ups of teams that know each other really well and play each other often. (New Zealand) will be looking at Australia and thinking, ‘We know what we’re up against’. It’s a Trans-Tasman battle and I think both teams are going to love it.”
That’s it, folks. Hometown derbies galore! Wallabies and All Blacks to face off in Pool A, Scotland v Ireland in Pool D and England v Wales in Pool F.
Searching for their fourth title, defending champions South Africa get the rails run to the Round of 16 against minnows Romania, Georgia and Italy.
Stand by for Joe Schmidt and Harry Wilson who will assess the threats posed by Hong Kong China, Chile and New Zealand.
David Campese has refreshed my glass and reminded me that the Wallabies have done it to their trans-Tasman rivals before at a World Cup.
Here it is in slow-mo. Pure poetry!
Finally, World Rugby chief Brett Robinson does the duties for Band 1.
Pool F: Zimbabwe, Tonga, Wales, England
Pool E: Samoa, USA, Japan, France
Pool D: Portugal, Uruguay, Scotland, Ireland
Pool C: Canada, Spain, Fiji, Argentina
Pool B: Romania, Georgia, Italy, South Africa
Pool A: Australia, Hong Kong China, Chile, New Zealand
Wallabies legend James Slipper has Band 3 and here’s how the numbers fall…
Pool F: Zimbabwe, Tonga, Wales
Pool E: Samoa, USA, Japan
Pool D: Portugal, Uruguay, Scotland
Pool C: Canada, Spain, Fiji
Pool B: Romania, Georgia, Italy
Pool A: Australia, Hong Kong China, Chile
Alicia will draw Band 3 and allot them into Pools. Here we go…
Pool F: Zimbabwe, Tonga
Pool E: Samoa, USA
Pool D: Portugal, Uruaguay
Pool C: Canada, Spain
Pool B: Romania, Georgia
Pool A: Australia, Hong Kong China, Chile
Here we go. Scruitneers from BDO are on hand to check there are no illegalities and it will be Dan Carter who will draw the first teams from Band 4 for each of the six pools…
Pool F: Zimbabwe
Pool E: Samoa.
Pool D: Portugal
Pool C: Canada
Pool B: Romania
Pool A: Hong Kong China
Colm from Dublin and Sasha from Subiaco via Auckland agree that ‘World In Union’ will be hard to beat as a Cup anthem but Dan B of No Fixed Address has suggested this track from Australian punks Amyl & the Sniffers as an anthem for the RWC2027 draw tonight.
I’m a bit offended, Dan. Was my description of the new format that confusing? Or have I had one too many of Frank Bunce’s Wallbangers?
Our panellists are installed behind big red buckets. What will they pluck from within them? And whose destiny will be decided by their fickle fingers of fate?
All Black legend Dan Carter recalls seeing the first RWC as a seven-year-old and going on to play in four tournaments.
Mr Carter certainly made the most of every moment on the World Cup stage…
Much has been said in the preliminaries so far but diddly squat has been decided. Instead former Wallaby flanker Phil Waugh, who tasted defeat in the 2003 World Cup final, and who is now the CEO of Rugby Australia says tonight lifts the curtain on “a very exciting time for Australian rugby. It’d be great to see the team go deep in the tournament and we have plenty of reasons to be excited.”
Here are some highlights of that 2003 decider (or lowlights if you’re an Aussie).
Jack from Maitland has emailed to ask whether RWC2027 has a theme song like the 1991 World Cup anthem by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa?
Good question, Jack. I suggest Rugby Australia mend a burned bridge from 2022 and reach out to former coach Dave Rennie whose talent for strumming an acoustic guitar inspired a Wallabies streak of five wins in 2018 – their best run since 2008 – and a run of victories the 2026 Wallabies would blow up a panda farm to achieve.
Tonight’s draw will allocate the lower-ranked teams first and be conducted in band order starting with Band 4, followed by Band 3, then Band 2, and concluding with Band 1.
For each band, the allocation of teams to pools will follow this sequence:
The draw is random except for one feature: Australia are locked into Pool A as host nation and will therefore contest the opening game at Optus Stadium in Perth on 1 October 2027. Who from Band 1 will be drawn and placed in Pool A to meet them?
The remaining team balls will be placed into four separate bowls, each representing one of the four bands. The Draw presenters will then draw the balls from these bowls.
Ealesy has a similar set-up on the buffet tonight, four bowls of snacks, each a deadly rival of the other:
Bowl 1: Chicken Twisties
Bowl 2: Arancini balls
Bowl 3: Prawns
Bowl 4: M&Ms
We are readying for action in Sydney.
Before we dive into the pools let’s look at the “bands” each of the 24 nations has been seeded in according to the IRB world rankings locked in last weekend.
BAND #1 (ranked 1-6): South Africa, New Zealand, England, Ireland, France, Argentina.
The big mover in Band One is England, whose 11-match winning streak has seen them climb from seventh to third in the rankings this year.
BAND #2 (ranked 7-12): Australia, Fiji, Scotland, Italy, Wales, Japan.
Band Two’s big name here is two-time World Cup winner Australia whose winless recent tour of Europe has condemned them to seventh spot.
BAND #3 (ranked 13-18): Georgia, Uruguay, Spain, United States, Chile, Tonga.
The fast-improving world No 16 United States will host the 2031 men’s tournament (and also the 2033 women’s RWC) and need a breakout tournament here. Will the Round of 16 provide it?
BAND #4 (ranked 19-24): Samoa, Portugal, Romania, Hong Kong, Zimbabwe, Canada
Samoa have played at every World Cup since 1991 but are still miffed about missing the first in 1987. They claim they were “not invited”.
Luke McLaughlin ran the rule over the 24 teams and identified some juicy rivalries and sub-plots that may eventuate tonight…
An expanded World Cup means a longer schedule, no? No! RWC2027 will actually take place over 43 days compared to 50 in 2023.
Games will be spread across seven cities: Adelaide/ Tarntanya, Brisbane/ Meeanjin, Melbourne/ Narrm, Newcastle/ Awabakal-Worimi, Perth/ Boorloo, Sydney/ Gadigal and Townsville/ Gurambilbarra.
But more teams means more matches, yes? Yes! Instead of 48 games like at the last Men’s Rugby World Cup in France, the 2027 tournament will have 52.
But it’s more games for fans NOT players. The change from five teams per pool to four means one fewer match for each team in the pool stage. So despite adding four extra teams, the pool stage is shorter because the new Round of 16 runs longer.
More knockout rounds but less knockouts (hopefully). With the rising spectre of CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy), player welfare will be front and centre at RWC2027 and all teams will observe a minimum five rest days between matches.
“This format ensures maximum jeopardy, drama and excitement for the teams as well as spectators, while not compromising on the health of those who play the game,” says World Rugby.
Given the expanded competition, there’s also a new format in 2027.
Previously, rugby’s top 20 teams were divided into four pools of five. After playing everyone in their pool, the top two teams from each pool progressed to the quarter-finals.
In 2027, the top two teams from each of the six pools progress as before… BUT there they will be joined by the four best third-placed teams, progressing based on competition points (or, if that can’t split them, points difference… and failing that, try difference).
It makes the new “Round of 16” the World Cup’s first knockout games.
“The introduction of a Round of 16 will deliver even more knockout rugby, ensuring every match counts and every team has the chance to make history,” World Rugby reckons. “This is a huge step forward for rugby and a reflection of the game’s global growth.”
But the host nation has a welcome edge, as Jack Snape explains…
Hang on, 24 teams? You heard right. All those proclamations about RWC2027 being “the biggest tournament yet” are actually based in cold fact rather than hot air. Since the 2003 jamboree, we have had 20 teams in World Cup competition. But in 2027 we have four more!
First are the 12 teams that finished top three of their pools at Rugby World Cup 2023 in France and automatically qualified for 2027: France, New Zealand, Italy, Ireland, South Africa, Scotland, Wales, Fiji, Australia, England, Argentina and Japan.
The other 12 places are teams that qualified via regional tournaments, including the Rugby Europe Championship and Rugby Africa Cup: Georgia, Spain, Romania, Portugal, Tonga, Canada, United States, Uruguay, Chile, Samoa, Zimbabwe and Hong Kong China.
Each pool tonight will get a mix of rugby’s “big fish” and “minnows”. (A bit like the BBQ tonight where Mark Ella stuffed a barramundi he caught up north with the baby mullet Joe Roff netted from the Tweed River to make “Mullamundi.” Sublime!)
Hong Kong China are the Cinderella story, playing in their first-ever World Cup. But Zimbabwe have also qualified for their first RWC since 1991. Here’s how the Sables punched their ticket to RWC2027…
With the official draw at 8pm AEST, here’s how tonight will work…
We have 24 teams in the draw and four presenters to sift them into six pools with four teams in each. Our presenters are…
World Rugby Chair and former Australian international Brett Robinson
All Blacks legend and two-time RWC winner Dan Carter
Former Wallabies captain and Australia’s most-capped player James Slipper
Olympic gold medallist and former Australian Sevens star Alicia Lucas
After the draw we will get a live reaction to Australia’s pool and its rivals from Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt and captain Harry Wilson.
The Draw is being broadcast live on Stan Sport, 9Gem and 9Now in Australia and streamed globally via RugbyPass TV and World Rugby YouTube and former Wallaby Morgan Turinui will be leading the pre-show punditry and post-draw analysis.
Morgs brought some devils on horseback tonight that were delicious.
Preamble
Angus Fontaine
Greetings sports fans! Welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup draw. Angus Fontaine here hosting the action from the host nation of Australia where I am in turn being hosted by the Wallabies 1999 World Cup-winning captain, John Eales at a VIP Gala RWC Draw Shindig at his beachside penthouse in Sydney.
Seriously, the big fella has really pushed the boat out this year and the room is as full as Will Skelton’s socks with rugby union royalty. Jonny Wilkinson’s handmade sausage rolls are going down a storm, Serge Blanco has the white wine flowing and, with Francois Pienaar on the decks, David Campese is already goose-stepping on the dance floor.
But in a few moments, the music will stop. Ealesy will switch on his 99” plasma TV and we’ll all settle in to find out which rugby titans will clash in the pool stages of RWC#11 kicking off on 1 October 2027. For the 24 teams it means 95 weeks to sift personnel, get fit, crunch data, form strategies and prime themselves for rugby’s pinnacle event.
For fans, tonight is an opportunity to light a very long and very slow fuse on 668 nights of daring to dream that when the final whistle blows at the old Sydney Olympic Stadium on 13 November, it’s your team’s captain holding the Webb Ellis Trophy aloft as men’s world champions.
So fill your flasks, grab a pie, walk 10 paces and get ready to… DRAW!
