Rugby World Cup director Alan Gilpin has just confirmed that two of this weekend’s final pool phase round games will be cancelled. Read more to find out about this breaking story.
Rugby fans biggest fears have come to fruition with the World Cup organising committee confirming that two of this weekend’s games will be cancelled due to approaching Typhoon Hagibis, which is set to make landfall in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Photo Copyright Steve Haag – Hollywoodbets
What is a Typhoon?
A typhoon is a large storm that forms over an ocean due to low atmospheric pressure. Typhoons are actually the same thing as a hurricane with hurricanes forming over the North Atlantic, central North Pacific, and eastern North Pacific and Typhoons forming over the North West Pacific.
Typhoons are extremely common in South East Asia at this time of year with and two have already made landfall in Japan over the past two months.
Why Would the Organizers Cancel Games?
While there was a typhoon a week before the start of the Rugby World Cup, it wasn’t as powerful as the one that is about to hit Japan. The previous typhoon was called Typhoon Faxai and despite it being categorized as only a level category 3 storm – the measuring scale goes up to 5 – it still caused massive damage to rail systems and buildings.
With Typhoon Hagibis set to come in at level, one can understand why government officials and tournament organizers would not want supporters or players travelling.
Which Games Have Been Cancelled?
New Zealand’s clash with the Italians, which was set to take place has been called off alongside the game between England and France. The All Blacks won’t really be affected by the cancellation of their fixture as they will still top Pool B.
The England-French affair is an entirely different story, however, as the game was set to decide who would top the pool.
How Many Points Are Awarded if a Game is Cancelled?
There were some conflicting reports at the start o the campaign with a few experts claiming that a no result would end in each side be awarded zero points. The IRB confirmed that this is not the case with two points set to be awarded to each side should a game be called off.
Which Games Are Still Under Threat?
Australia’s Friday clash with Uruguay could still be called off although it looks unlikely to be with Hagibis only making landfall on Saturday. Ireland’s game against Samoa, which is being played in Fukuoka, is set to go ahead with the city unlikely to be hit by the typhoon. The biggest game under threat is undoubtedly the clash between the host nation and Scotland which is set to take place on Sunday.
As it stands, the game is still on but should the typhoon hit Yokohama as forcefully as some predictions it may well be called off. A no result would see Japan through to the quarter-finals and Scotland bow-out of the tournament.
Written by Darry Worthington for Hollywoodbets
