Who plans World Cup in middle of storm season?

Scots fans hit out at rugby chiefs over dates choice

RUGBY fans have slammed World Cup organisers for planning the tournament in the middle of Japan’s typhoon season.

Scotland will be knocked out of the tournament if tomorrow’s clash against Japan in Yokohama, near Tokyo, is cancelled due to bad weather.

Typhoon Hagibis – nicknamed Typhoon Haggis by some fans and the most powerful storm to hit Japan in 60 years – is due to sweep in today.

If the match is called off, both teams would be awarded two points for a draw and undefeated Japan would qualify for the quarter-finals.

Thousands of Scots have travelled to Tokyo for the crunch clash but face being thousands of pounds out of pocket if the game is off.

Craig Shearer, from Dundee, said: “The decision of World Rugby to give the World Cup to Japan in typhoon season is one to consider. The risks of this happening must have been assessed.”

Cammy Black, deputy editor of the Scottish Rugby Blog, said: “If it is cancelled, it will be hugely disappointing for the players and the fans who have paid money to go out there. But we need to be levelheaded. There’s a huge storm coming that’s going to affect lots of people’s lives – and this is a game of rugby.”

Tom Moore, from Lochwinnoch in Renfrewshire, said: “We’ve written the book on how to lose sportingly but there’s not been a chapter yet on losing by default to a typhoon.”

Fans who bought tickets from official channels have already received emails saying refunds will be paid automatically to their account but tickets bought from “secondary sources” will not be refunded.

RIDDY TO PLAY – PAGES 50&51