All Blacks to kick off 2027 Rugby World Cup against Chile

Beauden Barrett after the All Blacks v Ireland, Gallagher Cup test match, Soldier Field, Chicago.
Photo: ActionPress

The All Blacks will open their 2027 Rugby World Cup campaign with a Pool A match against Chile in Perth on Saturday 2 October.

The All Blacks then take on hosts the Wallabies in Sydney the following Saturday, with their final pool game against Hong Kong China in Melbourne on Friday 15 October.

The All Blacks have never played Chile or Hong Kong China in a test.

Caleb Clarke of New Zealand.
New Zealand All Blacks v Australia Wallabies, Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship rugby union test match at Sky Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand on Saturday 28 September 2024. © Photo: Andrew Cornaga / Photosport
Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz

In releasing the schedule, tournament organisers resisted the temptation to open the tournament with a clash between Bledisloe Cup rivals New Zealand and Australia, with the Wallabies kicking off the tournament against Hong Kong China in Perth on Friday 1 October.

The defending champion Springboks begin their World Cup against Italy in Adelaide on Sunday 3 October, before games against Georgia in Brisbane and Romania in Perth.

The Springboks, in Pool B, will be looking for an unprecedented third World Cup win in a row.

South Africa’s No 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu dives to score a try against Argentina in a Rugby Championship match, 27 December, 2025.
Photo: AFP

The draw also sets up a probable quarter-final between the All Blacks and Springboks.

Other major team match ups have Ireland and Scotland in Pool D, while England and Wales are both in Pool F.

The tournament will be the first in an expanded format, featuring six pools of four teams. The top two teams from each pool plus the four best third-placed teams will qualify for the knockout phase.

Australia will host the World Cup for the second time, after the 2003 edition in which the Wallabies went in as defending champions only to lose to England in the final.

To date, it is the only time a northern hemisphere side has won the World Cup.

The World Cup will take place in Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Townsville and Newcastle. Sydney’s Stadium Australia will host the final.

All Blacks pool matches at 2027 Rugby World Cup:

All Blacks vs Chile – Perth – 2 October 2027 – 6:15pm NZT

All Blacks vs Australia – Sydney – 9 October 2027 – 7:10pm NZT

All Blacks vs Hong Kong China – 15 October 2027 – 7:15 NZT

Other match Match schedule highlights:

• 24 teams, 52 matches, 19 match days, 7 cities and 8 venues
• Opening match: Australia v Hong Kong China – 1 October, 2027, Perth Stadium
• Final: 13 November, Stadium Australia, Sydney
• Super Sunday (17 October): five matches played in a single day for the first time ever to deliver an exciting end to the pool phase: Italy v Georgia, Ireland v Uruguay, Scotland v Portugal, France v Samoa, South Africa v Romania.
• Knockout Drama: Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney will host the first-ever round of 16, followed by quarter-finals in Brisbane and Sydney, and then the semi-finals, bronze final, and the RWC Final at Stadium Australia on Saturday 13 November.

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