A DAY ON from Ireland sealing a place in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals, the IRFU have issued a statement to refute claims made in The Sunday Times’ by columnist Stephen Jones.
Referred to as ‘false claims’ by the IRFU, Jones writes that Ireland and New Zealand were ‘vehemently opposed’ to the possible rearrangement of the Pool A fixture between Japan and Scotland.
The final match of the World Cup pool phase has been under threat of cancellation due to Typhoon Hagibis in recent days but is now set to go ahead in Yokohama (kick-off 11.45).
The result will determine who Ireland face in next weekend’s quarter-final. Cancellation would have sent Scotland out of the competition without a chance to play their fourth game and so their union have been pushing for the match to go ahead. With the game on, a clear-cut Scotland win could pit Ireland against South Africa in the last eight, while a Japan victory will see Joe Schmidt’s side take on the All Blacks.
“The Irish Rugby Football Union calls on Stephen Jones to immediately withdraw this scurrilous and untrue allegation,” says the statement.
“Referring to The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) being ‘vehemently opposed’ to any rearrangement of the Scotland V Japan Rugby World Cup fixture is completely false and the inference within the article that the IRFU made representations to World Rugby on the matter is totally without foundation.”
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