Rugby World Cup 2027 Pools – Japan In Pool E and Hong Kong China in Pool A

The pools were confirmed for the Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia, with Pool A drawing Australia as hosts and New Zealand, who will play the opening game of the tournament, joined by Chile and Hong Kong China. Japan are in Pool E with France, Samoa and the USA. We heard from the Asian teams and their reactions to the pools.

For the first time, the Men’s Rugby World Cup features 24 teams competing across six pools of four in an expanded format.

Rugby World Cup 2027 Pools

With the number of participating teams increasing from 20 to 24 and 52 matches played in Australia at RWC 2027, the tournament will now feature six pools as opposed to four.

The winners of Pool A, B, C, and D will take on the four best third-placed teams, while the winners of Pool E and F will face the runners-up from Pool B and D.

The runners-up in Pool A and C, in turn, will meet the second-placed teams from Pool E and F in the Round of 16.

Masato Tsuchida, Chairman of the Japan Rugby Football Union, said, “Japan is in Pool E, in the same group as France, the USA, and Samoa. We are really looking forward to playing against all of our opponents, and we feel a sense of urgency as we approach the two years until the tournament.

The number of participating teams has increased to 24, so the outcome of the Webb Ellis Cup, the championship trophy, will be even more closely watched around the world. Our goal is to reach the top four at the Rugby World Cup, and I am confident that Australia 2027 will be a fantastic tournament.”

Photo Credit – World Rugby / RWC 2027

Pool – A

• New Zealand
• Australia – Host
• Chilie
• Hong Kong China

New Zealand head coach Scott Robertson said, “How exciting is to actually get the World Cup draw underway, understand how it works, and who we’re with.. all the permutations ahead, and then looking forward to big games and who we’re playing? We know we’re going to have to play some big games to win a Rugby World Cup, and it’s clear after the draw.”

Harry Wilson (Australia captain) said of facing New Zealand in the tournament opener: “We’re obviously stoked to get the All Blacks. They’re a team we love versing, we verse them quite a lot. In a World Cup, if you want to win it, you’ve got to beat the best teams, and they’re obviously one of the top teams in the world.”

Of Chile and Hong Kong China, the Wallabies Captain added, “I honestly don’t know too much about them, but I’ve got no doubt over the next year and a half they’ll be a team all Australians will be keeping an eye on. When you’ve got them in a World Cup pool stage, you’re going to have to know your teams well.”

Current Australia coach Joe Schmidt added of the two opponents: “Chile and Hong Kong China, they’re two newcomers that will challenge you in a different way; challenge you to keep that level of performance to a certain height so that when you hit the round of 16, you hit the ground running.”

Hong Kong China will be the 27th national team to play in a Men’s Rugby World Cup. Hong Kong China Head Coach Logan Asplin and captain Joshua Hrstich were both born in New Zealand and were excited at the opportunity. Asplin said he had been asked at the start of the day what his ideal pool would be, and he had picked these teams! “This morning I said this would be my dream draw.”

RWC 2027 Pool Draw – Hong Kong China Captain Josh Hrstich (left) and Head Coach Logan Asplin (right)

He said they had been with the team, HKCR staff, and stakeholders for the draw. “There’s a bit of buzz in the room. For Josh and me it’s even more significant being Kiwis ourselves. For our players, playing the All Blacks is a massive task and a massive opportunity. To also play the hosts, as daunting as it is, you couldn’t have scripted it better.”

It is a significantly tough pool, but there are no easy pools. We will be playing in front of big crowds and against top-ranked teams, and there is no better way to test yourself,” added Hong Kong China’s Head Coach.

Hrstich quipped that the last time he played in New Zealand, he ran out against the Savea brothers (Julian and Ardie) and Ma’a Nonu, but that his phone had been blowing up with support from friends and family back in NZ.

The HKCR captain, leading them to their first Men’s RWC, said that the guys were excited.

“We’re obviously super excited. The challenge is huge. The boys can’t wait to go to work tomorrow and try to change the gap between us and those powerhouses, and also get after Chile. We’re under no illusions that it’s going to be a massive task. We’re lucky to be involved in the Nations Cup in 2026 to help better prepare for Australia.”

Chile head coach Pablo Lemoine said, “If you ask me if I’m happy with the draw, the answer is no. I would have preferred not to be in Group A. It has several drawbacks, such as the limited number of tickets available since it includes the host team, the neighbouring team, and another team from nearby. These are limitations for the Chilean community at the World Cup. These are negative aspects.”

He said of the match against Hong Kong China, “I have a lot of respect for them. It won’t be anything like the team we played against in Chile. At some point, we’ll plan our preparation for those matches (Australia and New Zealand), but we have to understand that this preparation has to directly influence the match against Hong Kong.

They’re seen as a weaker opponent, but they have a lot of money and the ability to convince teams to play in Hong Kong. They’re going to have a lot of interaction with Tier 1 countries in the coming years, so they’re going to be a different team to the one we’re used to”, said the Chilean coach.

Pool- B

• South Africa
• Italy
• Georgia
• Romania

The Springboks have been drawn with Italy, Georgia, and Romania for the pool stages of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, where they will be aiming for an unprecedented third consecutive title after lifting the Webb Ellis Cup in Japan in 2019 and France in 2023. No Men’s team has ever achieved the feat, but the draw means they will have a tough quarterfinal if they do top the pool as expected.

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus said, “We are pleased with the pool we have been drawn in, but this is a World Cup, and every team will go out there with great passion and do their utmost to represent their nations with pride. There have been surprises in the tournament before, so we’ll need to be up mentally and physically for every match.”

Pool – C

• Argentina
• Fiji
• Spain
• Canada

Los Pumas have never met Canada or Spain on the Rugby World Cup stage. Argentina coach Felipe Contepomi explained, “It’s interesting to play against Fiji, whom we haven’t faced many times in recent years, but we know the team they are and the surprises they often pull off in World Cups. Then there’s Spain, which has many Argentinians, adding an extra element, and Canada, a team that’s been improving.”

Fiji’s head coach Mick Byrne said, “Being in our backyard, there’ll be a good following, we’ll have a lot of fans. We’re really looking forward to that, that’s an exciting part of having a World Cup in Australia is we know our Fijian families and communities in Australia are very strong.”

Pool – D

• Ireland
• Scotland
• Portugal
• Uruguay

Ireland and Scotland are paired together for the third tournament in a row and the fourth time in total. Gregor Townsend, Scotland’s head coach, commented, “The important thing is to do as well as one can in the World Cup. The team has been building, and we now have depth that can see through the challenge of a World Cup in terms of injuries and rotation. So the most important thing is doing much better than we did these last two World Cups.”

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell on preparing for RWC 2027, “I’ve literally just come out of a two-hour meeting that we had straight after the draw. These things have to be planned well in advance, especially when you’re trying to navigate your way to the other side of the world. Now we know a little bit more, but we still don’t know anywhere near enough. The fixtures and where we’re going to be based are a big part of it. We’re trying to map it all out, book everything and arrange more training camps.”

Pool – E

• France
• Japan
• Samoa
• USA

France will be the favourites to top Pool E, in which the Brave Blossoms under Eddie Jones will try and topple them. Fabien Galthié, head coach of the French, said, “This live draw has projected us straight into the competition – it already feels like tomorrow, and we’re ready for it. We will fully respect our opponents.

When you look ahead, you can imagine a pathway that could take us to a quarter-final, or even a semi-final against either Australia, New Zealand or South Africa, who together account for nine world titles.”

France will meet Samoa for the first time in a Rugby World Cup pool match.

Galthié added of Japan, “In our pool, we know Japan well, and we have faced the United States at a World Cup before. This pool looks accessible, even though we hold a great deal of respect for every opponent.”

Eddie Jones, Japan national team Head Coach, reacts to RWC 2027 pool draw

Japan and Samoa are drawn together for the fourth tournament in a row, the Brave Blossoms having won the three most recent encounters.

Eddie Jones, Japan national team head coach, said via the JRFU, “The matchups for the 2027 tournament have been finalised, leaving us with two years to go until the World Cup.

Today, our opponents have finally been decided, and we now have a clear idea of ​​who we need to prepare for. From now on, it will be important for us to make the most of these two years and go into the World Cup as the best-prepared team in the tournament,” added the Brave Blossoms Head Coach.

Jones didn’t want to get pulled into too much of a discussion about the opponents in the pool and insisted they would wait until the final schedule in February 2026 and then focus on one game at a time. “This draws a line in that you can now focus on the teams you’re playing against. The only feeling I have is about the three pool games. That’s the only thing we have to worry about. Once we find out who we’re playing first, we will worry about that game.”

Of the threats France pose, he said, “France have got a massive forward pack. Once they get inside the 22, they play off 9 and try to play through you. You’ve got to be able to defend their big men with two players around the ruck.

Of course, they’ve got Dupont, and no one knows how he has returned from his ACL injury. We have a player playing with him at Toulouse, so we will get some good information on him. They’ve also got a lightning-quick outside back, so they are a really good team. We just need to prepare ourselves as well as we can. We can’t be worrying too much about what other teams do.”

He was also not concerned with the change of format. “You just accept what you are given” and wanted to focus on things in their control.

“It’s my 5th Rugby World Cup coming up, and I know a little about RWC campaigns, and you need to focus on the next game, and you can’t look too far ahead. Experience tells me you focus on games one at a time, and players only want to focus on the game ahead of them. So let’s wait until February and take it from there.”

He suggested the kicking game would be an important part of the tournament, as would the adaptability of the teams to the weather, as playing in a place such as Melbourne could be very different to Townsville, for example, in terms of the weather.

“You’ve got extreme climates in Australia. You’ve got Townsville, which is very humid and hot, probably 30 degrees and 85% humidity. If you go down to Melbourne, you could be playing in 12 degrees in the drizzling rain.

We need to be able to develop a game that is adaptable for both of those extreme conditions. That’s the rarity of this World Cup. Australia is such a big island with extreme variations of climate. You need to be adaptable to those conditions. It’s going to be an important part of learning to play in different conditions.”

He said of the target, “We want to be the team that everyone wants to watch at the World Cup. To do that, a top-four finish would be fantastic.

We will do everything we can over the next two years to make sure the team is in the best position to achieve that result. We’re going to have to play above ourselves, and we understand that it is going to take an extraordinary effort, but there is no reason why we can’t do that.”

Samoa head coach Lemalu Tusiata Pisi said of the reams in the pool, “Obviously, we played USA, and we lost to them. They’re tracking really well. Japan are playing really well – they beat Georgia at home in November, that is not an easy feat. They’re developing really well as well, so it’s going to be an exciting pool.”

USA head coach Scott Lawrence added, “It’s a World Cup, all games are tough, so we’re ready for whatever, and we’ll prepare just the same. We are a little bit familiar with Japan, and we’ll see with Samoa what players become available as we get closer to the World Cup.”

Pool – F

• England
• Wales
• Zimbabwe
• Tonga

England will face Wales for the second time in a RWC pool, with Wales winning in 2015. Steve Borthwick, England’s head coach said, “As with every England-Wales game, it was full of passion, full of spirit. I’m sure this will be the same.”

You can see the full RWC 2027 draw and commentary online here.

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