Rugby World Cup 2019: Weather threatens All Blacks' potential quarter-final opponents

Heavy rain and typhoons could affect the Rugby World Cup in Japan, with fears that Ireland's clash with Scotland on Sunday may be cancelled.

The Northern Hemisphere rivals are drawn to cross over with the All Blacks for the quarter-finals and if their Yokohama game is rained out, they will split competition points, leaving the door ajar for hosts Japan to sneak into the playoffs.

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"There was a typhoon just a few days ago, but there is lots of wind and rain at the moment, which will pick up during the day," Newshub presenter Mike McRoberts told The AM Show from Japan. 

"Whether it will be enough to postpone a match, I'm not sure, but if a match is postponed, the teams will share the points. 

"There is some doubt for the Ireland v Scotland match with a typhoon. That would play a very crucial role if they share the points." 

Last week, Japan was rocked by Typhoon Faxai, which disrupted the arrivals of Australia and England to the tournament.

May to October is typhoon season in Japan, with September being an especially unstable month.

If a typhoon hits during the tournament, it could have major consequences, especially in the pool stage, as the top two teams from each group qualify for the next round.

According to the Rugby World Cup rulebook, any pool match cancelled due to inclement weather will not be rescheduled. Instead, the result will be marked down a 0-0 draw, with each side receiving two points, according to the Rugby World Cup rule books. 

Once the tournament reaches the quarter-finals, any cancelled game would be rescheduled. If the game is abandoned after halftime, the leaders would be declared winners and if the score is tied, the team with the most tries in that game would progress.  

Weather severely impacted the recent Cricket World Cup in England, where the Blackcaps' rained-off match and shared points against India helped them reach the semi-finals. 

Then, their final-four match against India - again - was sent into a reserve day. 

Ireland coach Joe Schmidt is aware of the typhoon-like weather approaching, but that won't stop him preparing his team as normal. 

"The temperature is due to be 32 degrees tomorrow and that's not really Irish temperatures," he said. "That will be a challenge for us in itself, so we'll see how we adapt and cope with those different conditions. 

"The forecast for September 22 is torrential rain, so we're going to have to be ready for whatever conditions there are on the day."

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR FULL MIKE MCROBERTS INTERVIEW

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