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Scottish Rugby fined for legal threats to World Rugby

Scotland has been formally reprimanded, fined £70,000 and told to issue a written apology to Wor...



Scotland has been formally reprimanded, fined £70,000 and told to issue a written apology to World Rugby and the Rugby World Cup.

It's after they threatened to take legal action if their crucial match Pool A against Japan was cancelled due to a super typhoon.

The game went ahead and Scotland was beaten by the tournament hosts and exited the competition at the pool stage.

An independent disputes committee has found that Scottish Rugby "brought the game into disrepute".

"Prior to its decision, the committee gave the parties ample time to resolve the dispute," it said in a statement. "World Rugby made an open offer to the SRU, which required the SRU to apologise for its conduct and make a donation to the typhoon disaster relief fund in Japan.

"The SRU suggested alternative wording, which included a mutual expression of regret from both parties - and no apology.

"World Rugby strongly believed the comments, which suggested an unfair and disorganised treatment of all teams, to be inappropriate and ill-judged at a time when Japan was preparing for the largest and most destructive typhoon in decades," a statement said.

"The international federation believed that such comments brought the game into disrepute, not only in relation to World Rugby's handling of an extraordinary situation but also in the message that it sent to the Japanese people."

World Rugby says they'll donate the fine to the Childfund Pass it Back programme, which is aiding people affected by the typhoon.

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