RUGBY WORLD CUP IN TYPHOON TURMOIL.

For 4 years, the elite of world rugby union have been gearing up for the 2019 World Cup in Japan. The organisers have had those years, and more, to make appropriate and adequate arrangements for the competition and to ensure that all relevant contingency plans were in place. Now it transpires that those in charge couldn't organise the proverbial "piss up in a brewery".

World Rugby, the governing body of Rugby Union, knowingly organised a world cup in a country where, and at a time when, typhoons are a regular intruder into everyday life. They claimed to have contingency plans in place for the possibility of disruption to the tournament by such visitors but now it is clear that they did not. In response to the arrival of a powerful typhoon over the coming weekend is simply to cancel the affected games; some contingency.

This action itself disrupts players and teams, spectators and television viewers, as well as making the whole tournament something of a laughing stock. Some of the participating countries have seen their chances adversely affected, in the first instance, Italy are to be denied their opportunity, admittedly not a great one, of advancing to the quarter finals at the expense of New Zealand. France will be denied the chance of beating England and finishing top of Group C and facing Australia rather than Wales in the knock out stage.

Worst of all, although a final decision is yet to be made, Scotland may well find themselves exiting the competition due to their match with the hosts, Japan, also being called off. Group A is the closest Group and any combination of 2 from 3 - Scotland, Ireland and Japan - could progress, but not if Scotland are denied the chance to play. In that event, Japan will reach the quarter finals along with Ireland and Scotland will simply be left to stew.

In what other arena would such a situation arise ? Surely it would not have been beyond the wit of the mega-minds of World Rugby to have come up with a suitable plan, other than cancelling games ? They knew typhoons were a possibility and yet they did nothing; their answer is the simplest possible - cancellation.

If I were in charge of rugby union in France and Italy, I'd already be consulting my legal team. If I was running Scottish rugby, I'd already be asking serious questions of mine, too, as a contingency against my team suffering at the hands of the bunch of incompetents at the top of World Rugby. Get it ? Contingency !