LAST UPDATE | 13 Oct 2019

THE HUGE WORLD Cup clash between hosts Japan and Scotland in Yokohama has been given the go-ahead, World Rugby has confirmed.

There were major fears the crucial Pool A tied would be cancelled due to the after-effects of Typhoon Hagibis, but tournament organisers have this morning announced that the game will be played as scheduled at 7.45pm local time [11.45am Irish time, eir Sport] on Sunday.

World Rugby carried out an inspection of International Stadium Yokohama this morning and the governing body has now officially given the fixture the green light to be played.

The clash between the hosts and the Scots will decide who Ireland face in the World Cup quarter-finals.

Joe Schmidt’s men are currently top of Pool A after last night’s convincing win over Samoa.

If Japan win or draw this evening, Ireland will finish as pool runners-up and face Steve Hansen’s New Zealand in the quarter-finals next Saturday in Tokyo.

If Scotland win in Yokohama and deny the Brave Blossoms two losing bonus points, Ireland would finish the pool campaign at the top of Pool A, meaning a quarter-final against Rassie Erasmus’ South Africa next Sunday in Tokyo.

Joe Schmidt and his squad will, therefore, be glued to proceedings from Fukuoka, where they hammered Samoa last night.

Indeed, most of the rugby world will be watching closely for what has been an eagerly-anticipated clash between the hosts and Scotland, who had threatened to take legal action if the game was called off.

Instead, the Scots will have their chance to secure a quarter-final, but the Brave Blossoms will be confident about keeping their so-far stunning momentum rolling all the way into the quarter-finals. 

“The decision was taken following a comprehensive assessment of the venue and associated infrastructure on Sunday morning in partnership with the Host City,” reads a World Rugby statement.

“World Rugby and the Japan Rugby 2019 Organising Committee would like to thank everyone involved for their significant efforts to enable the match to be played as scheduled following one of the largest and most powerful typhoons to hit Japan in recent years.

“Fans attending  Sunday night’s match are advised to check travel operator information before departing and plan to arrive early as it may take longer than usual to enter the stadium. Fans should also expect a significantly reduced level of spectator service in terms of catering and merchandise sales owing to limitations on venue staff availability as a result of the typhoon.

“To ensure the best possible fan experience, the decision has been made to allow fans to bring non-alcoholic beverages into the venue for personal consumption. All drinks will be decanted into cups at the point of entry. This change in policy will only be operational for this match. As per the earlier announcement, fans are permitted to bring food into venues for personal consumption.”

- This article was updated at 9.36am to correct ‘any’ to ‘two’ in the seventh paragraph.