Ben's Beliefs: England will be chuffed with Pool F

You can ignore the inevitable talk from Steve Borthwick’s camp that every match in a World Cup is a difficult prospect, England’s draw today is a huge win for the RFU.

Wales, Tonga and Zimbabwe wouldn’t be far from the dream scenario for England fans, especially when you factor in the prospect of being once again on the easier side of the draw - away from serial Webb Ellis winners New Zealand or South Africa until the final.

A quarter-final against hosts Australia likely looms - a mouthwatering prospect given the history of that World Cup fixture Down Under but Borthwick’s men will likely be firm favourites for that one judging by the trajectory each side are going at the minute.

If Ireland can shake off their quarter-final hoodoo and reach the final four for the first time then we could see the Six Nations rivals face off in a blockbuster semi. While, South Africa and England have brilliantly guided in their next generation of stars, Andy Farrell is under pressure for not doing the same and with a faltering U20s programme, will there be enough green shoots to replace Ireland’s ageing core come 2027?

That is of course providing the Irish beat a very strong Argentina team who will refuse to be overlooked and can trouble the best of teams, as shown by their recent scalps over both the Springboks and All Blacks.

Pool F for England

Despite the top two guaranteed a play-off berth, England are expected to comfortably finish top of the pool, given they are eight places above Wales, 15 clear of Tonga and 21 spots ahead of Zimbabwe.

Wales

A World Cup pool fixture against Wales quickly provides England fans with a haunting after the 2015 meeting. Stuart Lancaster’s side looked home and dry late on, only for a Dan Biggar inspired Wales to shock the hosts at Twickenham and hand them a costly defeat, which eventually saw England become the first and only nation to be dumped out of their home showpiece tournament at the first stage.

Now a lot has changed in 10 years. Wales have won a Six Nations title more recently than England (2021) but have spent the previous two years in total disarray, enduring a dramatic fall from grace. This is the one fixture that means more to Wales than any other and add in World Cup permutations, Jac Morgan and co. will be licking their lips at the prospect of derailing England’s title bid.

However, at this moment in time, Wales are streaks behind Borthwick’s conveyer belt of talent which features an embarrassment of riches in almost every position. It’s very unlikely that much will change in under two years, especially after England ran riot in Cardiff earlier this year.

Tonga

The Pacific Island teams always pack a punch and can deliver some of the sport’s most shuddering hits. England can expect a physical contest but this is a Tongan team, which has regressed in 2025.

A third-place finish in the Pacific Nations Cup was rather underwhelming, particularly given their 62-24 defeat to Japan. While, Scotland ran riot at Murrayfield with a 56-0 trouncing over them last month.

You can expect some famous faces to return to their roots as part of World Rugby’s eligibility laws but 2023 proved superstars Malakai Fekitoa, George Moala and Charles Piutau failed to have the desired impact and they once again flattered to deceive.

This is an opponent England have only faced four times and have won each meeting by an average scoreline of 60-9.

Zimbabwe

England have never faced Zimbabwe, whose World No.24 ranking is the highest they’ve ever achieved in their history.

The Sables will provide a case of the unknown for Borthwick’s team and will be full of excitement having secured their first World Cup place since 1991.

But you would be astonished if this fixture didn’t produce yet another pool stage cricket scoreline, given the disparity in resources.