This picture taken on August 18, 2019 shows the newly built Kamaishi Recovery Memorial stadium, also known as the Kamaishi Unosumai Memorial stadium, one of the venues for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, in Kamaishi. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
Namibia vs Canada: Cancelled
The 2019 Rugby World Cup match between Namibia and Canada was cancelled due to flooding.
This picture taken on August 18, 2019 shows the newly built Kamaishi Recovery Memorial stadium, also known as the Kamaishi Unosumai Memorial stadium, one of the venues for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, in Kamaishi. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
Rugby World Cup organisers on Sunday announced cancellation of the match between Namibia and Canada due to Typhoon Hagibis but said they were “optimistic” the others could go ahead.
“We were left with no option but to cancel the match on safety grounds,” said tournament director Alan Gilpin, who had already been forced to cancel two other matches as Hagibis approached.
However, Gilpin added: “We remain optimistic that Sunday’s remaining matches will go ahead as scheduled in Kumamoto, Hanazono and Yokohama, which are much further south and therefore outside of the impact of the storm conditions this morning.”
Cancellation is a blow for the northern town of Kamaishi, whose hosting of World Cup games was a potent symbol of recovery from a 2011 tsunami disaster when it was nearly wiped off the map.
