Rugby World Cup: England and New Zealand games cancelled as Japan braces for super typhoon – live – The Guardian, Theguardian.com

• World Rugby has announced the cancellation of two matches this weekend, due to the impact of Super Typhoon Hagibis.
• The England v France and New Zealand v Italy matches will be cancelled.
• Scotland’s fate still hangs in the balance after tournament organisers said they would wait until Sunday morning to decide if the Scots’ final and decisive pool match against Japan would go ahead that evening.
• For matches that do not go ahead as scheduled, two points will be awarded to each team in line with tournament rules.
• Tournament director, Alan Gilpin, said Scotland, who would need a strong victory over Japan in order to make it through the group stage, would not be given special treatment. “Italy are in exactly the same position Scotland are in,” he said. “We won’t be treating that match, if it can’t be played, any differently.”
• Gilpin said the decisions had not been made lightly, but that safety was the organizers number one concern. “While making every possible effort to put in place a contingency plan that would enable all of Saturday’s matches to be played, it would be grossly irresponsible to leave teams, fans, volunteers and other tournament personnel exposed during what is predicted to be a severe typhoon , ”He said.
• A spokesman for Scottish Rugby said: “With potential impact on our last Pool A fixture, Scottish Rugby fully expects contingency plans to be put in place to enable Scotland to contest for a place in the quarter-finals, and will be flexible to accommodate this. ”
• Super Typhoon Hagibis is predicted to be one of the most violent typhoons in recent history. If it makes landfall in Japan as it is predicted to on Saturday, it could cause huge damage and potential casualties.

• Eddie Jones said he will take his England squad down to Miyazaki for the weekend to train away from the storm before relocating to Oita early next week.

England Rugby is holding a press conference

Head coach Eddie Jones says everyone is “disappointed” about the cancellation of their upcoming match against France but they “have no issue” with Rugby World Cup’s decision to cancel the game.

My colleagueRob Kitsonis at the same presser: “Jones says is taking his squad down to Miyazaki for the weekend to train away from the storm before relocating to Oita early next week. He says he does not want to get involved in the ins and outs of whether the tournament organisers could have reacted differently. ”

Andy Burke from BBC Scotland has a statement from Scottish Rugby.

A spokesman for Scottish Rugby said: “With potential impact on our last Pool A fixture, Scottish Rugby fully expects contingency plans to be put in place to enable Scotland to contest for a place in the quarter-finals, and will be flexible to accommodate this. ”

Reaction from France Rugby, which (for those who don’t parlent francais) roughly translates to: The match between France and England on Saturday is cancelled, security is more important than anything, we encourage fans to follow all security advice.

“Supporters, fans, we want to also extend our full support. The disappointment is shared. ”

A reminder of the stakes fromDuncan Smith,sportswriter for The Scotsman publications and the i. In line with his tweet, there was a lot of emphasis on safety from the RWC officials at the press conference.

Alan Gilpinis answering a question about why the cancelled matches couldn’t have been moved to stadia that were used in previous games and the reporter wonders if this is because some stadia have been de-rigged and no longer have any branding visible.

“It wasn’t a question of whether they’d been de-rigged, they just weren’t an option to us,” says Gilpin, who adds that given the size of the typhoon’s potential zone of impact, there were very few stadia that could be used safely.

He is now being asked if “in hindsight” they should have built more flexibility into the scedule.

“I don’t think so. The schedule for RWC is a complex beast – 40 pool matches in four weeks, ” he says. “There is very little flexibility in the RWC match schedule, that’s why the tournament rules are as they are, we have some different opportunities in case of something similar in the knockout round.”

After extensive evaluation, World Rugby and the Japan Rugby 2019 Organizing Committee have announced an update regarding the predicted impact of Typhoon Hagibis on this weekend’sRugby World Cup 2019pool matches. This includes the decision to cancel matches on safety grounds.

Friday, 11 October

Pool D match between Australia and Georgia in Shizuoka at 19: 15 JST to be played as scheduled

Saturday, 12 October

• Pool A match between Ireland and Samoa in Fukuoka at 19: 45 JST to be played as scheduled
• Pool B match between New Zealand and Italy to be cancelled
• Pool C match between England and France to be cancelled

The decision to cancel matches has not been taken lightly and has been made in the best interests of public, team , tournament personnel and volunteer safety, based on expert advice and detailed weather information. While we have extensively explored all options, public and team safety was our utmost priority as well as ensuring a consistent, fair and equitable outcome for all teams. All fans with tickets for a cancelled match will receive a full refund for the face value of their match tickets.

Sunday, 13 October

Every effort is being made to ensure Sunday’s matches will be played as scheduled. A thorough assessment of venues will take place after the typhoon has passed before a final decision is made on Sunday morning.

Scotland match won’t be given special treatment, says Alan Gilpin

Alan Gilpin has been asked about the Scotland match, which is slated for Sunday and has not yet been cancelled, with Gilpin saying RWC would make a decision about the game on Sunday morning after reviewing weather conditions.

The reporter asks if conditions mean it can’t be played on Sunday, whether RWC might consider moving the match to a different venue, or delaying to a difference day, given the significance of the match and the fact it is effectively a knockout match for Scotland,

Gilpin says they have been striving for consistency with their contingency policy.

“Italy are in exactly the same position Scotland are in,” says Gilpin. He says that while Scotland v Japan is a “huge match” and they’d obviously love it to go ahead “We won’t be treating that match, if it can’t be played, any differently.”

Alan Gilpinhas been asked ifRugby World Cuphas any regrets in light of these cancellations.

“No regrets at all,” he says. “I think what you’ve all seen over the last three weeks, absolutely in all respects vindicates the decision to hold the tournament here in Japan.

“It’s rare for a typhoon of this magnitude to cause these impacts this late in the typhoon season.

“We’ve made the right decision.”

Justin McCurry

Scotland’s World Cup is still in doubt after tournament organisers said on Thursday they would wait until Sunday morning to decide if the Scots’ final and decisive pool match against Japan would go ahead that evening, as large parts of the country await the arrival of one of the most powerful typhoons in decades.

Alan Gilpin is running through a list of the matches from this weekend and the impact the typhoon will have on them:

Australia v Georgia will go ahead. ************

Ireland v Samoa will go ahead.

New Zealand v Italy will be cancelled.

England v France will be cancelled.

Unless I missed it, he did not say what will happen with the Japan v Scotland game.

Alan Gilpin, head of theRugby World Cup, is speaking now.

He says they are “Confirming adjustments to match schedule” as a result of the predicted impact of Hagibis.

Which includes “regrettably the decision to cancel matches on safety grounds”.

We have a livestream of the press conference (which is also embedded at the top of this blog), though as you will see, nothing is happening and we are waiting for officials, including Mick Wright, Alan Gilpin , Akira Shimasu, and Koji Horluchi to arrive.

Our rugby union correspondentRob Kitsonis there and says: “There’s plenty of interest from all over the world, as you would expect. Clearly it is an extreme weather situation but World Rugby is under a bit of pressure to clarify a number of issues, not least precisely how many games the organisers are still looking to reschedule. If Scotland v Japan does not happen for any reason there will be a major row; England, meanwhile, are understood to be relocating to a new base away from Tokyo today to avoid the approaching typhoon. ”

(Gerard Meagher)

Our rugby union correspondentGerard MeagherExplainswhat is going on and what it might meanfor the tournament:

World Rugby may be forced into taking the unprecedented step of cancelling Saturday’s Pool C match between England and France as well as Scotland’s crucial fixture with Japan 24 hours later as the category five super typhoon heads for Yokohama. Both matches were among the most in-demand when tickets went on sale.

Any games cancelled due to weather problems are registered as scoreless draws, with both sides awarded two points. While England and France have already qualified for the quarter-finals, it could have huge consequences for Scotland’s Pool A game with the hosts, which also takes place at Yokohama’s 72, 000 – seater stadium. If that match is cancelled Scotland would be eliminated, assuming Ireland beat Samoa on Saturday.

One of World Rugby’s contingency plans is to move both matches to other venues but that would cause havoc for more than 140, 000 supporters across the weekend and prove a huge logistical headache for tournament organizations.

Kate Lyons

Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of today’sRugby World Cupweather-related drama.

World Rugby is set to hold a press conference, announcing a decision on whether Super Typhoon Hagibis will prompt some of this weekend’s matches to be cancelled or moved.

Japan is awaiting updates on the progress of one of the most violent super typhoons in recent history, which, if it makes landfall in Japan as it is predicted to on Saturday, could cause huge damage and potential casualties.

Rugby fans are watching the progress of the typhoon carefully, for its impact on the World Cup. Two crucial matches face cancellation or disruptive last-minute shifts to new venue due to Hagibis.

Scotland are scheduled to play Japan at the 72, 000 – seater Yokohama Stadium on Sunday, and England are scheduled to play France at the same venue on Saturday. Both matches were among the most in-demand when tickets went on sale.

The stakes are highest for the Scots, who would be eliminated if their match against Japan were to be cancelled, assuming that Ireland beat Samoa in Fukuoka on Saturday.

World Rugby and World Cup organizers are due to hold a press conference at noon local time on Thursday (4am BST, 2pm AEDT). Our Japan correspondentJustin McCurryis on the ground at the press conference, to bring us news from it. Our stellar Rugby World Cup team is also on hand to provide analysis of and reaction to whatever announcement is made today.

Thanks for following along. If you have questions, comments, witty repartee, or are a ticket-holder for one of these matches and have thoughts to share, please get in touch via the comments, email ([email protected]) or onTwitter. I want to hear from you.

Otherwise, let’s crack on.