Scotland's Rugby World Cup draw revealed as Gregor Townsend meets nemesis once again
Townsend’s men discover foes for 2027 edition of tournament
Scotland will face Ireland at the 2027 Rugby World Cup after the draw in Sydney paired Gregor Townsend’s side with opponents who can be safely described as his nemesis.
The ancient rivals are in Pool D alongside Uruguay and Portugal for the tournament which will be hosted by Australia.
It is the third World Cup in a row that Scotland and Ireland have been drawn together in the group stage, with the Irish winning in both 2019 and 2023 to scupper Scottish hopes of qualifying for the knockout phase.
There is a new format with more teams and more games for the 2027 tournament which means it will also be easier to qualify from the pool phase - good news for Scotland who were in the second band of seeds for Wednesday's draw in Sydney.
The 24 competing nations have been drawn into six pools of four. The top two from each will qualify along with the four best third-placed sides. It means only eight teams will be eliminated in the pool phase.
The caveat is that there is an extra knockout round - a round of 16.
The fixture schedule has yet to be confirmed but Scotland should have little trouble in overcoming the two lower ranked sides in Pool D.
Uruguay were in the third band of seeds and are ranked 14th in the world. They have played in five previous World Cups but never advanced beyond the pool stage. Scotland played them in summer 2024 in Montevideo and laboured to a 31-19 victory. The sides met at the 1999 Rugby World Cup, with Scotland winning 43-12 at Murrayfield.
Clash against Ireland will be huge
Portugal, ranked 20th in the world, were in the fourth pot of seeds. Scotland beat them 59-21 in the Autumn Nations Series at Murrayfield last year.
Scotland’s match with top seeds Ireland is the stand-out tie in the pool. Townsend has faced the Irish 11 times during his eight years as head coach and Scotland have lost on each occasion.
Whoever wins this match is likely to have an easier ride in the knockout phase.
The Pool D winners will face one of the best third-placed sides in the last 16, while the the Pool D runners-up will take on the Pool E winners who are likely to be France.
The tournament kicks off on October 1, 2027 and the final will take place in Sydney on November 13.
Full Rugby World Cup 2027 draw
Pool A: Hong Kong China, Chile, Australia, New Zealand
Pool B: Romania, Georgia, Italy, South Africa
Pool C: Canada, Spain, Fiji, Argentina
Pool D: Portugal, Uruguay, Scotland, Ireland
Pool E: Samoa, USA, Japan, France
Pool F: Zimbabwe, Tonga, Wales, England
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