RUGBY IN THE EYE OF THE STORM
Mayhem and anger for teams and fans in path of the 160mph typhoon
THE Rugby World Cup was plunged into unprecedented chaos yesterday amid cancelled matches and recriminations caused by the approaching super typhoon Hagibis.
On an historic day, World Rugby announced that:
The England v France and New Zealand v Italy games would not be played owing to the impending arrival of the storm, now classified as ‘violent’. The announcement denied the Azzurri any chance of claiming a place in the quarter-finals.
The crucial clash between hosts Japan and Scotland could still go ahead as planned on Sunday in Yokohama, but it will not be moved or put back a day, despite the outcome deciding qualification from Pool A.
Tournament officials confirmed the four teams affected by the cancellations would be awarded two points each — with the games declared no-score draws.
There was confusion, anger and upheaval for teams, officials and supporters as news spread about this unheard-of disruption to a World Cup.
It is the first time in the 32-year history of the event that matches have been cancelled. Both Engthat land v France and New Zealand v Italy were due to take place on Saturday in Toyota, which lies right in the path of Hagibis. The typhoon is set to rage through central and eastern areas of Japan, with winds forecast to reach 160mph.
Scotland have every chance of defeating Japan and potentially denying the hosts a first quarterfinal place.
The Scottish Rugby Union demanded guidance from World Rugby about plans for their game in the event of damage to Yokohama Stadium and the surrounding area. There was speculation the fixture could be played behind closed doors if there are concerns about safety but organisers were adamant that if it doesn’t go ahead as planned on Sunday, the match would be cancelled and deemed a 0-0 draw.
Head coach Gregor Townsend has urged that everything possible is done to to ensure it goes ahead.
‘We believe the game hasn’t been cancelled because the weather forecast is much improved for Sunday.
‘It looks like the game will be played and that’s what we have to keep faith with. (World Rugby) have made the call with a lot of certainty and a lot of confidence the game will go ahead on Sunday night.
‘We have to have faith in the organisers that the game will be played even if it’s behind closed doors or at a different venue.’
New Zealand must wait to discover if they will face Ireland, Japan or Scotland in the last eight but their head coach Steve Hansen, unsurprisingly, backed the decision to cancel matches on safety grounds.
‘Of course it is frustrating but we can’t control the weather,’ he said. ‘Do we charge on and put people’s lives at risk or do we make a decision to make sure people are safe? It’s a no-brainer. There’s a lot of sympathy for Italy but the right decision has been made.’
No one expected Italy to topple world champions New Zealand and replace them in the quarterfinals, but they were incensed at being denied the chance to try.
Conor O’Shea, Italy’s outgoing head coach, said: ‘No one’s mentioned the fact that we still had a chance to qualify.’
England reacted to the dramatic developments by hurriedly vacating their hotel in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo. Eddie Jones and his squad flew south to the city of Miyazaki.
This was where the squad held a pre-tournament training camp and their head coach expressed satisfaction about having the chance to recharge and prepare for a likely quarter-final against Australia in Oita next Saturday.
‘Someone is smiling on us — the typhoon Gods maybe,’ he said. ‘We are not concerned. We are excited. Who would have thought we would have two relatively easy games, one tough game and then two weeks to prepare for a quarter-final?’
The former head coach of Japan added: ‘I’ve been here for about 30 typhoons and there’s a reason why everything shuts down when they come, because they can be very dangerous. This one is supposed to be a big typhoon, so I don’t see any other option.’
World Cup organisers insisted they had only very reluctantly decided to call off matches, in the interests of safety.
Officials were at pains to explain that there had been ‘exhaustive’ attempts made to implement contingency plans, that fans missing out on matches they had paid to see would receive refunds, and there were no regrets about bringing the event to the Far East.
‘The last three weeks vindicates hosting a World Cup in Japan,’ said tournament director Alan Gilpin.
Satellite images of the extreme weather event displayed at World Rugby’s press conference on Thursday reveal it is the size of Japan and shows no sign of deviating in its path.
It dwarfs Typhoon Faxai which brought Tokyo to a standstill, leaving a million homes without power and killing three people.
‘Powerful storm is the size of Japan’