Scottish Rugby Confirms It Is Looking At Legal Options

Scottish Rugby has confirmed that it is looking into legal options if the nation’s game against Japan at the 2019 Rugby World Cup is cancelled.

Previously, World Rugby announced that – owing to safety fears caused by the threat of Typhoon Hagibis – it had cancelled both the England v France fixture in Yokohama and Italy v New Zealand in Toyota. World Rugby’s rules state that, where a pool match cannot be played, it won’t simply be postponed for 24 hours or played at a different venue, but cancelled and declared a draw.

Therefore both fixtures were cancelled, despite the fact that it was still mathematically possible for the Italians to qualify for the quarter finals in the albeit unlikely scenario of a sizeable win over the All Blacks.

Scotland now find themselves threatened by the same fate. Although scheduled to play against host nation Japan in Yokohama in their own must-win game, the impact of the typhoon may yet see their match called off. 

Scottish Rugby has confirmed that it is looking into the legal avenues open to it if that is indeed the case. It also believes that the legal opinion it has received “unravels the World Rugby case.”

Mark Dodson, CEO, Scottish Rugby Union said: “For World Rugby to simply state that the game has to be cancelled goes against the whole sporting integrity of the tournament.

“World Rugby have pointed us back to the participation agreement, and that it is clearly stated there. We’ve had a legal opinion and then we’ve taken a leading sports QC opinion in London that challenges that, and unravels the World Rugby case.”

The 2019 Rugby World Cup isn’t the only major sporting event in Japan threatened by Typhoon Hagibis: the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix is also under threat, with organisers postponing Saturday qualifying until Sunday morning local time, with the race itself scheduled for Sunday afternoon.

Earlier this year, Sport Industry Group and Miller Insurance Services LLP hosted a workshop for industry leaders on the subject of reducing risk at major sporting events. A working group comprised of organisations including The FA, UK Athletics, RLWC 2021 and the European Tour explored case studies and best practice around event cancellation, concluding that clear communication and athlete safety are the most important factors.