Party like it’s 2015…

What Do You Mean by Justin Bieber was in the charts, Wales were navigating an injury-hit World Cup campaign, and the national football team had just qualified for their first major tournament for 58 years: the 2016 Euros.

It remains to be seen whether Wales can recreate that famous night at Twickenham, where they dumped England out of their own World Cup, but what we do know is that they will face each other once again on rugby’s biggest stage.

Drawn in Pool F alongside England, Tonga, and Zimbabwe, the draw represents a relatively kind situation for Wales to find themselves in.

England are ranked number three in the world, so a tough top seed side to get, but with the format changes from four groups of five to six groups of four, Wales are not required to beat their oldest rivals in order to get through to the new round of 16 stage.

In drawing Tonga, the lowest ranked of the third seeds, and Zimbabwe, the second lowest ranked side in the tournament, Wales have escaped tricker matches with the likes of Georgia, Spain, Samoa, or Portugal.

If Wales were to repeat the heroics of that 2015 vintage and top the Pool F, they would face the runner-up of Pool B, which is most likely one of Italy or Georgia.

The more likely scenario is Wales come second in the group and are therefore placed on the other side of the draw against the runner-up of Pool C.

Pool C is perhaps the most competitive group at the tournament, with Argentina, Fiji, Spain, and Canada all duking it out.

Whatever the potential outcome, the new format offers a safety net of the best four third-placed sides also getting out of the group stage. Despite this back-up Steve Tandy’s men will be targeting a top-two spot as a bare minimum after this draw.

“It’s exciting. Different format with smaller groups,” Tandy said.

“I know it is two years away, but I can’t wait to get started. You are just excited to see who you’ve got. It’s more exciting to see who you are going to play rather than who you avoid.

“They are all tough games.”

After a difficult autumn campaign, which included heavy defeats to three sides set to be part of the favourites for the tournament – Argentina, New Zealand, and South Africa – Tandy’s men will have to improve in the two years before the World Cup.

“Throughout the campaign there has been growth,” Tandy added. “Playing some of the top teams in the world will stand us in good stead.

“We need to make sure incrementally we are getting better, and we need to make sure we are better by the World Cup.

“You only get four full days of training with this group before the autumn but in the world cup you get a full pre-season. The more this group is together the quicker they will grow.”

The 2027 Rugby World Cup takes place in Australia in October and November, with 52 matches played in seven cities with Stadium Australia in Sydney hosting the semi-finals and final.

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

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Sportin Wales’s coverage of Wales’s World Cup qualifying campaign is proudly sponsored by S4C. You can watch all of Wales’s matches this year for free on S4C and S4C Clic.

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