Scotland 61 Russia 0 /Bears mauled as typhoon alert intensifies
Scotland’s Rugby World Cup future has been thrown into a whirlwind of confusion as “Super Typhoon” Hagibis makes its way to the Japanese mainland with increasing ferocity, writes Duncan Smith in Shizuoka.
Governing body World Rugby called a press conference for noon local time today (4am overnight BST) to address the developing situation.
One possible scenario could see the Scots eliminated from the tournament without a ball being kicked in the much-anticipated final Pool A match against hosts Japan at a sold-out Yokohama International Stadium on Sunday.
Gregor Townsend’s side set up what is now a quarter-final shootout between the two sides after running in nine tries to hammer Russia 61-0 in Shizuoka.
But the Japan match has been cast into doubt as the Category 5 storm – by far the largest of Japan’s typhoon season so far – is now forecast to bear down on the Tokyo-yokohama area at the weekend. England and France are due to meet in the same stadium on Saturday. A cancelled match would see each side awarded two points, which would eliminate Scotland. Coach Gregor Townsend, speaking after the win over Russia, said: “I checked the weather app this morning and it did look like it was heading into Tokyo this weekend, unless it has changed since then.
“It is a few days away and it could miss the Tokyo area, or it could still go there.
“We’ll be getting updates from World Rugby in the next two days as to what the contingencies are.
“I’m sure that alternative venues and arrangements are being looked at not just for our game but the other games that could be affected. England and France play in the same stadium the night before. I know it was getting looked at for the Ireland game as well when the forecast was that it was going to Fukuoka.”
A variety of rumours are swirling around, with the SRU adamant that it has “no comment at this stage”.
There had been talk that the England v France game
could be moved hundreds of miles south to Oita but English media have reportedly been told to backtrack on that line. There are suggestions that game could now be cancelled.
With both those teams already in the quarterfinals, although who topped Pool C was up for grabs, that would be a far less incendiary call than doing the same for the Scotland-japan clash, which has so much riding on it. Understandably, the Scotland camp’s focus was honed in on the Russia match but The Scotsman understands that afterwards urgent calls were made to World Rugby.
Tournament rules state that pool matches that cannot be completed on the scheduled day are deemed a 0-0 draw with two points awarded to each side, which would end Scotland’s participation.
It is believed that Scotland were open to a venue switch to the indoor Misaki Stadium in Kobe, where they beat Samoa 34-0 last Monday, but a change of location presents huge logistical problems for organisers. Transport networks could be hugely affected if the typhoon strikes with the ferocity predicted and many Scotland fans are flying in specifically for the Japan match in Yokohama, and, hopefully, on to the knockout stages.
Given the extraordinary circumstances and the stakes involved, it could be that the authorities relax their rules and push the game back to Monday.
Typhoon Hagibis is set to vastly eclipse the earlier Typhoon Faxai, which wreaked havoc on the Tokyo area a couple of weeks before the tournament started, killing three people, injuring 147 and causing mass power out ages, evacuation sand transport chaos. For all that the impact of extreme weather on the Rugby World Cup looks like being significant this time after a couple of narrow escapes, the main concern will be for the safety and wellbeing of the people currently waiting anxiously in the megastorm’s path.