World Rugby is monitoring the progress of a super typhoon that is forming in the south of Japan and is predicted to hit this Saturday with a potentially crucial match for Ireland against Samoa in Fukuoka scheduled on the same day.

Typhoon Hagibis is presumed to bring torrential rain and sustained winds of 120 mph as it hits Japan, with gusts of up to 149mph, categorising it as a super typhoon.

Japan’s Meteorological Agency (JMA) said that Typhoon Hagibis is expected to reach the highest level of “violent”.

“It could also be the strongest to hit Japan this year,” JMA said.

World Rugby has a contingency plan in place to ensure that Ireland’s game against Samoa goes ahead, and that could be by delaying the game until Sunday or by changing the venue.

Nonetheless, any games cancelled at the World Cup due to unfavourable weather are considered scoreless draws.

Ireland need a bonus-point victory against Samoa to ensure their passage through to the quarter-finals.

“World Rugby is as “keen as we are to get this game played,” Ireland’s defence coach Andy Farrell said

“The weather forecast changes all the time anyway, so we won’t probably know until 48 hours out from the game.

“The boys haven’t even spoken about it – we just go from day to day, get on with our preparations.”

Wales is to face Uruguay in Kumamoto on Sunday as well.

“We’ve had some updates in the past from World Rugby about potential weather stuff, and we will deal with that when it comes,” head coach Warren Gatland told the media. BBC Sport reports

“We won’t be thinking about that, we will just be focusing on the game.”

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A map on the Meteorological Agency website shows that the extremely large typhoon Hagibis could blast Kyushu, Shikoku and Honshu during the upcoming three-day weekend. Source: Japan Times