The Rugby World Cup 2027 draw has delivered the blockbuster pool clash every neutral wanted — Australia against New Zealand in Pool A. Conducted in Sydney on Wednesday night, the draw for the 11th edition of rugby union’s global showpiece also set up a potential Eddie Jones reunion that nobody in Australian rugby will want to think about too hard.
Rugby World Cup 2027 Draw Pits Wallabies Against All Blacks
With 24 teams featuring for the first time in tournament history, World Rugby chairman Brett Robinson, Olympic gold medallist Alicia Lucas, All Blacks legend Dan Carter, and Australia’s most-capped player James Slipper conducted proceedings — though the draw itself carried little ceremony. The Wallabies, placed in Band 2, always faced the likelihood of drawing one of the sport’s heavyweights. First, Hong Kong China and Chile — making their first and second World Cup appearances respectively — dropped into Pool A. Then, with South Africa landing in Pool B, New Zealand followed Australia into the same group. Cue the noise.
The fixture schedule drops in February 2026, and organisers are weighing two options for the Wallabies-All Blacks showdown: a Perth opener or a sold-out blockbuster at the MCG in front of more than 90,000 fans. Both options carry serious weight. We’ve already covered the prospect of this fixture at the 82,000-capacity Accor Stadium, and wherever it lands, it will be unmissable. Australia have lost 11 consecutive Tests against the All Blacks, so finishing second in Pool A is no certainty — it may even be the preferred outcome to dodge a quarterfinal meeting with defending champions South Africa.
The Jones Factor: A Round of 16 Nightmare Scenario
However, finishing second brings its own complications. Japan landed in Pool E alongside France and Samoa, meaning a second-place finish for the Wallabies could set up a Round of 16 date with Les Kiss’ side — coached by none other than Eddie Jones. The very man who led Australia to their earliest World Cup exit ever, becoming the first Wallabies coach to crash out at the pool stage, at the 2023 tournament in France. It later emerged during that tournament that Jones had been plotting his return to the Japan job — and he now looks set to take them into 2027. BBC Sport has followed his turbulent coaching career closely, and this storyline writes itself.
Slipper, recently retired, attempted to douse the revenge talk — pointing out that Australia beat Japan in Tokyo not long ago. “It’d be fine, 2023, mate, I think it’s burnt,” he quipped. Admirable composure. But make no mistake — if these two sides meet in the Round of 16 in two years’ time, no amount of diplomacy will keep a lid on what that match means.
