World Rugby has confirmed the Pool A match between Japan and Scotland in Yokohama on Sunday will go ahead as scheduled.
The city of Yokohama was hit by typhoon Hagibis, the worst of its kind in 60 years, on Saturday night. But World Rugby announced earlier today that the much-talked about contest will go ahead as planned.
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‘The decision was taken following a comprehensive assessment of the venue and associated infrastructure on Sunday morning in partnership with the host City,’ the governing body said in an official statement.
‘World Rugby and the Japan Rugby 2019 Organising Committee would like to thank everyone involved for their significant efforts to enable the match to be played as scheduled following one of largest and most powerful typhoons to hit Japan in recent years.’
Delighted to confirm that the Japan v Scotland match will go ahead as scheduled. Fantastic effort by all concerned to get the game underway after the one of the largest and most powerful typhoons in recent years #RWC2019 via @RugbyWorldCup https://t.co/fQcq2vv1wY
— Sir Bill Beaumont (@BillBeaumont) October 13, 2019
‘Fans attending Sunday night’s match are advised to check travel operator information before departing and plan to arrive early as it may take longer than usual to enter the stadium. Fans should also expect a significantly reduced level of spectator service in terms of catering and merchandise sales owing to limitations on venue staff availability as a result of the typhoon.’
‘To ensure the best-possible fan experience, the decision has been made to allow fans to bring non-alcoholic beverage into the venue for personal consumption. All drinks will be decanted into cups at the point of entry. This change in policy will only be operational for this match. As per the earlier announcement, fans are permitted to bring food into venues for personal consumption.’
‘As Yokohama International Stadium is located within the engineered flood defences of Yokohama City, there will be significant amounts of water in the surrounding floodplains and river. This is normal and should not alarm fans.’
The news will come as a great relief for all the stakeholders involved and parties invested in this match, after the Scottish Rugby Union threatened to take legal action against World Rugby if the match had been cancelled.
Scotland need a victory to advance to the playoffs, while Japan only need two log points to progress. The match will in fact be a straight shootout for a place in the quarter-finals alongside fellow Pool A contestant Ireland, who booked a place in the knockouts on Saturday.
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Photo: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
