World Rugby has announced the cancellation of two matches this weekend due to Typhoon Hagibis making its way towards the region.
The England-France match and the New Zealand-Italy match have both been scrapped.
World Rugby and the Japan Rugby 2019 Organising Committee released a statement saying: “Based on the latest detailed information from the tournament’s independent weather experts, Hagibis is predicted to be the biggest typhoon of the 2019 season and is highly likely to cause considerable disruption in the Tokyo, Yokohama and City of Toyota areas throughout Saturday, including likely public transport shutdown or disruption.”
“As a result, World Rugby and the Japan 2019 Organising Committee have taken the decision to cancel matches in the affected areas on safety grounds,” it continued.
The organisation says every effort is being made to ensure matches on October 13 will be played as scheduled after an assessment of venues takes place once the typhoon has passed. A final decision will be made on the morning of October 13.
Qatar Airways says flights will operate as scheduled, but passengers are advised to check the website for updates as Head Office is on ‘high alert’.
All fans with tickets for a cancelled match will receive a full refund for the face value of their match tickets.
