‘Strongest storm of year’ set to cancel first ever Rugby World Cup match
The strongest storm on the planet, Super Typhoon Hagibis, will see the first ever Rugby World Cup match cancelled, reports say.
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Super-typhoon Hagibis is set to wreck more drama on the Rugby World Cup than the blitz on high tackles with match cancellations potentially causing chaos.
World Cup chiefs will outline contingency plans at a briefing in Tokyo at 2pm (AEDT) Thursday to cope with the unprecedented disruption expected.
At best, Japan’s destiny at this World Cup in Yokohama on Sunday night will be decided in heavy rain and wind in Yokohama.
But reports from the Daily Mail suggest England’s Group C clash against France will be cancelled - a Rugby World Cup first.
The European heavyweights also play in Yokohama 24 hours before the crucial Japan-Scotland showdown.
Should either game be called off, points will be split as if they were draws.
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Such a scenario would spin Japan into the quarter-finals to the delirious excitement of the host nation.
On the table will be other options because the safety of more than 70,000 fans for each game is paramount.
Moving Saturday’s clash to an empty stadium or shifting three Saturday games, in all, to Sunday is a potential option but infrastructure would need to be checked first.
Both England and France are already through to the quarter-finals so the vexing call is really the Japan-Scotland game and whether it might even be shifted to Monday.
Hotel bookings, tour group plans, flights ... all could be in chaos for fans.
The Pool C cancellation would also confirm top spot for England in Pool C for a blockbuster quarter-final against the Wallabies, once they deal with feisty Georgia on a dry night in Shizuoka on Friday before the typhoon hits.
It will be the third typhoon to buffet parts of Japan since the Wallabies’ flight to the tournament was delayed last month.
I can't get over the amazing eye of #TyphoonHagibis, a magnificent stadium of clouds and swirling mesovortices surrounded by thunderstorms. pic.twitter.com/OQwGvzLxNS
— Alex Lubbers (@AlexLubbers2) October 9, 2019
#TyphoonHagibis update: still a huge violent typhoon tracking toward Japan. Current forecasts (subject to change) take the centre right through Tokyo on Sat as a 'very strong' typhoon. Flooding rain & damaging winds likely.#ENGvFRA #RWC19 and #F1 quali under threat. pic.twitter.com/z6M8ghdVro
— Simon King (@SimonOKing) October 9, 2019
#TyphoonHagibis has evolved towards a clear and wider eye as it has also re-attained super typhoon status.
— GlobalWeatherClimate (@gwccwx) October 9, 2019
This continues to be a large and dangerous tropical cyclone that is on track towards #Japan still.
More #Hagibis imagery available at https://t.co/KKx0jUpJG7. pic.twitter.com/tvEPd1LlUt
World Rugby is shrewdly being cautious on revealing contingency plans for the seven matches scheduled for this weekend because typhoons are so fickle with their course and impact.
Hagibis is rated a super-typhoon and the biggest of the year for its rapid escalation over the warm waters of the west Pacific and winds of over 200km per hour.
World Rugby has put out an alert that it is tracking north and east to bring strong winds and heavy rain to Tokyo and surrounding areas like the port city of Yokohama on Saturday.
The Wallabies are unlikely to see a sudden flip in their second-placed pool position because of it with the Wales-Uruguay match on Sunday out of the main firing line.
The Scots have most to lose because Japan and Ireland would go to the quarters from Pool A if there is a washout.
“Come on, we’re from Scotland,” prop Gordon Reid said stoutly of being unbothered by a bit of foul weather.
“We have had worse weather...rain, hail, everything in one day. We have coped well with a lot more.”
Towering 2.08m Wallabies lock Rory Arnold has spotted one trend in the glut of yellow and red cards for high tackles...tall guys need to be particularly wary.
Referees are unconcerned if victims are dipping when they cop the high shot because any contact with the head and neck means punishment.
Wallabies Lukhan Salakaia-Loto (1.98m) and Adam Coleman (2.04m) were sin-binned against Uruguay and Argentina’s Tomas Lavanini (2.01m) was red carded last weekend.
“I’m just working on getting that body height down because a lot of cards have been thrown out there and it puts a lot of pressure on your side in big games, any game,” Arnold said.
“I guess it is mainly all those taller boys getting pinged for those high shots.”
Arnold said finding the balance between going low and being dominant in a tackle had to be found.
“You can’t overthink it either and stop playing your natural game because I want to be aggressive, that’s the way I play,” he said.
“Get low, don’t give any silly penalties away. At the end of the day the rule is no contact with the head and player safety.”
Originally published as ‘Strongest storm of year’ set to cancel first ever Rugby World Cup match
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