RWC 2027 - The Weeks Between Matches - Here's what to do....
π The Week Between Matches: Turn Your Rugby World Cup 2027 Tickets into an Australian Road Trip
The match is 80 minutes. The week between matches is yours.
Men's Rugby World Cup 2027 kicks off in Perth on 1 October 2027. Fans are clearly keen. At the one-year-to-go mark, organisers announced that more than half of all tickets had already been sold. If you've got yours, congratulations. Now comes the fun part.
Here's what most travelling fans don't realise until they look closely at the draw: in the pool stage, most teams play about once a week. That leaves roughly six days between kick-offs, and you'll spend them in one of the best countries in the world for a road trip, in spring, with the whole east and west coast to play with.
You could spend those days in airport lounges and hotel rooms. Or you could pick up a campervan, take the scenic route to your next match, and turn a rugby trip into the holiday of a lifetime. We know which one we'd choose. π
ποΈ Use promo code RWC27
Unlock an extra discount and a bonus fuel gift card on your Rugby World Cup campervan.
Start planning your World Cup road trip βπ How the Rhythm of the Tournament Works
Rugby World Cup 2027 runs from 1 October to 13 November 2027. It's the biggest edition yet, with 24 nations playing 52 matches across Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane and Townsville. Here's the shape of it:
- π Pool stage (1β17 October): three matches per team, usually about a week apart, often in different cities
- π₯ Round of 16 (23β24 October): new for 2027, played in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth
- β‘ Quarter-finals (30β31 October): Sydney and Brisbane
- π Semi-finals, Bronze Final and Final (5β13 November): all at Stadium Australia, Sydney
That weekly rhythm is what makes a road trip work. A week is enough time to cover 1,000β2,000 km at a relaxed pace, with full days off the road and time for beaches, wineries and national parks. You arrive at each match refreshed, not frazzled.
π Our Rugby World Cup travel hub has the full schedule for every team, plus the pools and knockout fixtures.
πΊοΈ Six Weeks Between Matches We'd Happily Do Again
Every team's draw creates its own road trip. Here are a few of our favourites to get you dreaming. Each one has a full day-by-day itinerary on our hub page.
π Sydney to Melbourne via the Sapphire Coast
For All Blacks fans: Sydney/Gadigal (9 Oct) β Melbourne/Narrm (15 Oct)
π Approx. 1,100 km | 5 days
Skip the Hume Highway and take the coast instead. You'll cross the Sea Cliff Bridge, stop at the white sand of Jervis Bay and spend a full slow day on the Sapphire Coast, where October is still prime whale-watching season. Then head over the border to Lakes Entrance and Ninety Mile Beach before rolling into Melbourne.
π Visit NSW | Visit Victoria | Campervan hire Sydney
π· Sydney to Brisbane via the Hunter Valley
For Wallabies fans: Sydney/Gadigal (9 Oct) β Brisbane/Meeanjin (16 Oct)
π Approx. 1,000 km | 5 days
Celebrate (or commiserate) the Bledisloe clash with a full day among the Hunter Valley's cellar doors. Then cruise north up the coast to the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital and the lighthouse at Byron Bay, mainland Australia's most easterly point. You'll reach Brisbane with time to spare.
π Adelaide to Sydney via the Great Ocean Road
For England fans: Adelaide/Tarntanya (8 Oct) β Sydney/Gadigal (16 Oct)
π Approx. 2,150 km | 7 days
This is the big one, and it's a beauty. Coonawarra's red-soil vineyards lead into the Grampians and their kangaroos, then the Twelve Apostles at sunset, the Phillip Island Penguin Parade and oysters on the Sapphire Coast. It packs four states' worth of postcards into one week and finishes in time for England v Wales.
π South Australia | Visit Victoria | Campervan hire Adelaide
π¦ Adelaide to Melbourne via the Limestone Coast and Grampians
For Wales fans: Adelaide/Tarntanya (2 Oct) β Melbourne/Narrm (8 Oct)
π Approx. 1,400 km | 4 days
Follow the coast through the Coorong to historic Robe, head inland to Halls Gap in the Grampians, then pick up the Great Ocean Road for koalas at Kennett River and a surf-town lunch in Torquay. The trip ends with a red-shirted night in Melbourne's laneways.
π South Australia | Visit Victoria | Campervan hire Melbourne
π Brisbane to Melbourne down the East Coast
For Los Pumas fans: Brisbane/Meeanjin (4 Oct) β Melbourne/Narrm (10 Oct)
π Approx. 1,850 km | 6 days
Start in Byron Bay, see Sydney Harbour on day three, and watch kangaroos lounging on Pebbly Beach before reaching Lakes Entrance. Holiday park camp kitchens and electric barbecues aren't quite an asado, but they come close. After Melbourne, the route continues west along the Great Ocean Road to Adelaide for the final pool match.
π¬ Western Australia Wonders: a Perth Loop
For Springboks fans: Perth/Boorloo (17 Oct) β Round of 16 in Perth (24 Oct)*
π Approx. 2,800 km | 10 days
Western Australia deserves its own trip. Head north to the Pinnacles, Kalbarri's gorges and the Monkey Mia dolphins at Shark Bay. Then swing south for Margaret River wineries that will feel a lot like home to Cape Winelands regulars, finishing among the karri forests and Albany's granite coast.
*Applies if the Springboks top Pool B. Knockout venues depend on pool results.
Following France, South Africa between Adelaide and Brisbane, or another team? π See every team itinerary on our Rugby World Cup hub.
βοΈ When the Gap Is Too Big: Fly, Then Drive
Australia is enormous, and we'll be honest about it. Perth to Sydney is around 3,900 km by road, which you can't do safely in a week between matches. If your team switches between the west coast and the east coast, the smart move is to fly across, then pick up your campervan at the other end. The major brands have depots in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Check one-way conditions when you book.
Not a campervan person? A hire car plus holiday park cabins is another flexible way to explore between matches. You can compare both on DriveNow.
β Five Golden Rules for the Week Between Matches
- Arrive the day before. Never plan a long drive on match day. Aim to roll into your host city the evening before kick-off.
- Keep driving days to 4β6 hours. Take regular breaks, share the driving where your hire allows it, and never drive tired or after a celebratory drink.
- Avoid dawn, dusk and night driving in the country. Kangaroos are most active then, and they don't care who won.
- Book your holiday park early. Powered sites near stadiums will fill fast on match weekends. Our hub lists holiday parks within about 25 km of every venue.
- Leave the van parked on match day. Use public transport or a shuttle to the stadium. Venue parking will be limited and may not suit larger vehicles.
π Everything Else You Need Is on Our Hub
We've packed our Rugby World Cup 2027 travel hub with everything a travelling fan needs to plan the week between matches:
- ποΈ Team-by-team schedules for all 24 nations, plus the round of 16 and knockout fixtures
- π Day-by-day road trip itineraries built around each team's draw
- π A city-to-city distance chart with realistic campervan journey lengths
- ποΈ Holiday parks near every venue, all within about 25 km of the stadium
- π Campervan and motorhome types explained, so you pick the right size for your group
- β FAQs on licences, age requirements, driving on the left and overnight parking
New to campervanning? Our Campervan Hire Handbook covers the basics, from licences to what to pack.
β° Why Book Your Campervan Now?
With rugby fans from 24 nations heading to Australia in the same six weeks, accommodation and flights in host cities will be in hot demand. A campervan takes care of your bed and your transport in one booking. Most campervan bookings on DriveNow confirm instantly, so you can lock in your van first and build the rest of your trip around it. Book early for the best choice of vehicles, especially for opening weekend and finals week in Sydney.
π Ready to plan the week between matches?
Compare live campervan and motorhome prices from Australia's leading brands, and apply promo code RWC27 for an extra discount and a bonus fuel gift card.
Explore the Rugby World Cup hub βCompare campervans βFor official tickets, fixtures and venue information, visit rugbyworldcup.com/2027.
π Why book with DriveNow?
DriveNow is 100% Australian-owned and has been comparing campervan, motorhome and car hire since 2002. We never charge booking fees. The prices you see are live rates direct from our rental partners, with nothing added.
DriveNow acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands across Australia on which we live, work and travel, including the Traditional Owners of every Rugby World Cup 2027 host city. We pay our respects to Elders past and present.
Please note: Information in this article, including fixtures, venues, distances and promotional offers, was correct at the time of writing (October 2026). Match dates and venues should be confirmed against the official Rugby World Cup 2027 schedule, and knockout venues depend on pool results. Check road conditions, holiday park availability and hire terms before you travel.
