We do need to keep games of rugby in perspective but if Sunday’s Pool A decider goes the way of England v France then the knockout stage will be underminedFirstly, some perspective. There are people living in the suburbs of Tokyo who still do not have electricity due to the typhoon that hit a month ago. Lives were lost and houses were destroyed. Hagibis, which has caused so much disruption to the World Cup schedule, is more than three times the size of the last one.Let’s put rugby to one side for a second. We’re all here living in this micro-bubble of the Rugby World Cup but in three or four weeks we pack our bags and go home. There...
Leaving aside debate about typhoons, there is a history of hosts on the right end of dubious on-field decisions at World CupsGregor Townsend may have had Russia to prepare for this week but the attention of the Scotland coach drifted towards Sunday’s (hopeful) showdown – Typhoon Hagibis notwithstanding – against the hosts Japan and the stark fact that victory may not be enough to prevent his side from making an early exit for the second time in the last three World Cups.Scotland, who must take four more points from the Pool A finale than the hosts to reach the quarter-finals, had already noted preferential treatment for Japan in the way their games are spread out with no short turnarounds, not...
With so many what-ifs, this tournament looks destined to have a permanent asterisk by its namePeople sometimes talk about being blown away by a sporting spectacle. The 2019 Rugby World Cup is in danger of being remembered for the opposite. If the weather forecasters are correct, the onrushing Super Typhoon Hagibis is way too big and powerful to be messed with. Not since the late, great Jonah Lomu burst on to the scene in South Africa in 1995 has a larger shadow loomed over the competition.The first thing to say is that everything in life is relative. Calling off a couple of rugby matches is a gnat’s bite compared with the potential destruction, both in terms of human lives and...
With the knockout stages in sight, losing a key player to a red card could now completely derail a team’s tournament chancesTen red cards or subsequent bans in Japan has dwarfed anything that’s happened before in a Rugby World Cup. However, get a ban now that goes into the knockouts and a body blow could turn into a grievous one. How many of the top teams could go into a quarter-final fully confident without their best player banned? England without Billy or Faz? New Zealand without Beauden or Ardie? Wales missing Alun Wyn or Gareth?Now I’m not saying the bans and cards earlier in the group stages didn’t have an impact but the stakes are now considerably higher. Related: Rugby...
Reigning champions have a huge following at this World Cup but not that many of them are from New Zealand• We are expanding our coverage of New Zealand. Please help us by supporting our independent journalismThree hours before kick‑off, the little square outside Tobitakyu station was already overflowing with New Zealand fans, spilling out down the road towards Tokyo Stadium. The ground holds 50,000 and by the time it was full you could see at least three-quarters of them were wearing black, mainly branded All Blacks swag. Jerseys, jackets, caps and flags. It didn’t matter that most of them have never even been to New Zealand. It’s been like this at every game the All Blacks have played. They had...