Rugby World Cup 2019: England fans furious as match is axed amid typhoon fears

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Frustrated England rugby fans lashed out at World Cup organisers today after a typhoon warning led to the scrapping of Saturday’s match with France in Yokohama, near Tokyo.

Fans with tickets for cancelled games will receive full refunds but that will often be cold comfort when they have travelled from around the globe to attend.

One, Peter Hooper, 24, from Bristol, who spent around £2,500 and had been in Tokyo for a week, said: “A lot of money has been spent on flights, accommodation and other costs and now the match has been cancelled it has put a massive downer on the whole thing.

“Everyone I have spoken with is very annoyed and frustrated at the cancellation. Many are questioning why the match couldn’t be rescheduled for a different day or different venue.

Tournament director of the Japan 2019 Rugby World Cup Alan Gilpin, second left, speaks to the media on Thursday as a screen shows the the path of the approaching typhoon Hagibis
William West/AFP via Getty Images

“But I think, despite all the frustration, they understand that safety is the main priority, so can kind of see why it has come to this.”

Tournament director Alan Gilpin said: “The decision to cancel matches has not been taken lightly.”

The England team hotfooted it out of Tokyo today after its match against France on Saturday was one of two to be ­cancelled as the World Cup plunged into chaos over the violent Typhoon Hagibis.

World Rugby today confirmed the cancellations — the first in World Cup history — of England’s final pool match, as well as New Zealand v Italy, confirming the end of the Azzurri’s slim hopes of qualification.

Both were declared 0-0 draws. Saturday’s third match, Ireland v Samoa, in Fukuoka, will go ahead as scheduled.

The vital Japan v Scotland match in Yokohama on Sunday is under serious threat.

An assessment of the damage to stadia and local infrastructure will be made on Sunday morning, when the storm is expected to have passed. If that game does not go ahead, Scotland will be eliminated.

Typhoon Hagibis is expected to make landfall on Saturday. It is the 19th typhoon of this year’s season (which can run from July to October), is 1,400km wide and will bring wind in excess of 100mph and 200-500mm of rain.

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