Another Rugby World Cup match cancelled as Typhoon Hagibis turns deadly

The Rugby World Cup Pool B match between Namibia and Canada which was scheduled to be contested later on Sunday in Kamaishi has been cancelled because of the destruction caused by Typhoon Hagibis, World Rugby said.

"Owing to the level 5 evacuation order remaining operational following Typhoon Hagibis, World Rugby and the Japan 2019 Organising Committee have cancelled today’s Rugby World Cup 2019 Pool B match between Namibia and Canada in Kamaishi on safety grounds," organisers said in statement.

"The safety of all involved in Rugby World Cup 2019 is our primary consideration and fans are advised not to travel to Kamaishi or the venue, which will be closed."

[Join or create a 2019 Yahoo Fantasy Basketball league for free today]

The organising committee's CEO Akira Shimazu added: “We considered every possibility to make this game happen, in the end we had no option but to cancel the match to ensure the safety of the fans, team, volunteers, and all others involved.

"It was both a difficult and emotional decision to make, however, I feel it’s the right decision."

Typhoon turns deadly

The most powerful typhoon to hit Tokyo in decades has smashed into northern Japan after fierce rain and wind paralysed the capital, killing four people while millions are under evacuation warnings, rivers are flooded and streets are deserted.

Three people died in Chiba, Gunma and Kanagawa prefectures surrounding Tokyo, while a man in his 60s was found with no vital signs in a flooded apartment in Kawasaki, public broadcaster NHK said. Seventeen were missing early on Sunday, it said.

A 50-year-old man was killed near Tokyo early on Saturday in a car overturned by punishing winds, while another person died after being washed away in a car, public broadcaster NHK said. Nine people remain missing in landslides and flooding, it said.

The Namibia-Canada match, which had no bearing on the rest of the tournament with both sides out of contention for the quarter-finals, will be recorded as a draw.

It is only the third World Cup match to have been cancelled.

Two of Saturday's matches, the Pool C decider between England and France and the Pool B match between world champions New Zealand and Italy, were scratched on Thursday when it became clear the typhoon would make landfall in central Honshu.

Organisers expect the Pool C match between the United States and Tonga (in Hanazono), Wales's final Pool D match against Uruguay (in Kumamoto) and host nation Japan's Pool A clash with Scotland (in Yokohama) -- which will decide which of the two teams reaches the quarter-finals -- to go ahead on Sunday as planned.

“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," the statement added.

"Detailed venue inspections at Hanazono and Yokohama are currently underway, and an update will be published when that important process has been completed."

Ticket holders to the Namibia v Canada match will be entitled to a full face-value refund.

with AAP