YOKOHAMA (AP) – Hosts Japan continued their winning campaign at the Rugby World Cup and qualified for the quarter-finals of the World Cup for the first time ever.
The Asians won a thrilling and highly rated game against Scotland in 28:21 (21:7). With four successes in four matches, the Japanese finished first in Group A in the table. They will face co-favorites South Africa in the quarter-finals on October 20.
Wales had already won Group D with a 35:13 (7–0) win over Uruguay. The Welsh will face France in the quarter-finals. Defending champions New Zealand’s game against Ireland, England has to deal with Australia.
Ireland, one of the favourites, made it to the quarter-finals with a clear victory in Fukuoka the day before. The Irish, who started the tournament first in the world rankings, gave Samoa no chance at 47:5 (26:5). The Green Island favorite made everything clear in the first half with three quick attempts and a 21-0 lead and also removed a red card without any problem.
Due to Typhoon Hagibis, three World Cup games over the weekend were cancelled. So Saturday’s games between defending champions New Zealand and Italy and between England and France were cancelled. Italy missed a small chance to qualify for the quarter-finals. The duel between Namibia and Canada in Kamashi was also called off on Sunday. For the further course of the tournament, however, a comparison between two teams that have already been eliminated will only have statistical significance.
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