Japan v Scotland crunch is ON, and with a crowd, Rugby World Cup chiefs confirm

SCOTLAND will play Japan and bid to reach the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals at Yokohama International Stadium (11.45am BST) after the venue cleared an inspection following the devastating Typhoon Hagibis which tore through the country on Saturday.

Scotland's vital final Pool A match against hosts Japan will go ahead at Yokohama International Stadium at 11.45am UK time. Picture: Getty Images

A Rugby World Cup statement, which was issued at 2.45am UK time said: "The decision was taken following a comprehensive assessment of the venue and associated infrastructure on Sunday morning in partnership with the Host City. World Rugby and the Japan Rugby 2019 Organising Committee would like to thank everyone involved for their significant efforts to enable the match to be played as scheduled following one of largest and most powerful typhoons to hit Japan in recent years.

"Fans attending Sunday night’s match are advised to check travel operator information before departing and plan to arrive early as it may take longer than usual to enter the stadium. Fans should also expect a significantly reduced level of spectator service in terms of catering and merchandise sales owing to limitations on venue staff availability as a result of the typhoon."

It means Gregor Townsend's side will now have the opportunity to reach the last eight after days of confusion over whether the game would be possible due to the extreme weather situation.

Scotland have to simply beat Japan while denying them a bonus point, or beat them with a bonus point and limit them to no more than one, in order to set up a quarter-final meeting with New Zealand in Tokyo next Saturday.

The RWC statement added: "Transport operations in and around Yokohama will progressively return to normal service levels throughout the day and we will provide ongoing updates via the @Japan2019_ENG fan information Twitter account throughout the day.

"To ensure the best-possible fan experience, the decision has been made to allow fans to bring non-alcoholic beverage into the venue for personal consumption. All drinks will be decanted into cups at the point of entry. This change in policy will only be operational for this match. As per the earlier announcement, fans are permitted to bring food into venues for personal consumption.

"As Yokohama International Stadium is located within the engineered flood defences of Yokohama City, there will be significant amounts of water in the surrounding floodplains and river. This is normal and should not alarm fans."