Scotland face punishment from World Rugby over legal threat before Typhoon Hagibis struck

Dejected: Scotland were kncoked out of the World Cup after defeat to hosts Japan
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Will Macpherson15 October 2019

Scotland are facing punishment from World Rugby over their Chief Executive Mark Dodson’s comments about the potential cancellation of the clash with Japan.

There were fears that the key fixture on Sunday, a day after Typhoon Hagibis struck, would have to be cancelled.

That would have seen Scotland knocked out of the tournament, which Dodson said would have seen them become “collateral damage”. He threatened World Rugby with legal action.

But Hagibis’s damage in Yokohama was not seriously enough for it to become the fourth game cancelled. It went ahead, with Japan winning 28-21 and progressing to the quarter-finals at Scotland’s expense.

World Rugby Chief Executive Brett Gosper described the comments as “unhelpful and disappointing” at a press conference in Tokyo and referred Scotland to the Independent Disputes Committee. The charge will be misconduct through bringing the game into disrepute. They are likely to face a fine if found guilty.

“The tournament rules are clear about appropriate behaviour,” said Alan Gilpin, the tournament director. “As a result, we have asked an independent disputes committee to look at the behaviour and comments of the Scottish Union. Because of that, it would be inappropriate to comment any further.”

Giplin added that World Rugby are exploring whether to increase the number of teams at the World Cup from 20 to 24 and whether squads needed to be larger than 31.

He also paid tribute to the hoards of people who helped to get Sunday’s game, which was watched by a Japanese TV audience of more than 60 million.

In Pictures | Japan vs Scotland | 13/10/19

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“They just wanted to make it happen and it was another sign of the remarkable commitment to the tournament shown by so many here,” he said. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude.

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