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Scotland considering legal action if Japan game cancelled

Scotland may consider legal action if their decisive World Cup match with Japan on Sunday does no...



Scotland considering legal act...
Rugby

Scotland considering legal action if Japan game cancelled

Scotland may consider legal action if their decisive World Cup match with Japan on Sunday does not go ahead.

World Rugby is to make a decision on Sunday morning about whether the match in Yokohama can go ahead as the host nation prepares for Typhoon Hagibis.

Two games that were due to take place on Saturday, involving New Zealand and Italy and England and France, have been called off and deemed 0-0 draws.

Scotland currently lie third in Ireland's Pool A but still progress to the quarter-final stage with a win over Japan.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4,  Scottish Rugby Union chief executive Mark Dodson has voiced his frustrations over the possibility of their premature departure.

"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."

Scotland had previously said they "will be flexible" to accommodate a rearranged fixture and that contingency plans must be put in place for the game to be rearranged.

Dodson's anger was clear by the apparent refusal to consider moving the game to another time or venue.

"We've been preparing for this tournament now for the last four years, our guys are over 100 days in camp, we've played three games already and the fourth game in this particular case is pivotal.

"My view is that we're not going to let Scotland be the collateral damage for a decision that was taken in haste."

"The common-sense approach to this is to play the game 24 hours later on perfect safety where we can make sure that the pool stages are completed, and the sporting integrity of the tournament remains intact."

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