Rugby World Cup: Great win for Ireland – massive defeat for the IRB

Whew! We made it. Off to the quarter finals of the Rugby World Cup.

Just the one game today after England/France and New Zealand/Italy were called off because of the weather in Japan.

No word yet on the vital Scotland/Japan game.

But here’s a thing.

The two matches were called off because of the “weather in Japan.”

You’d swear they hadn’t the faintest idea there was going to be a spot of rain or a gust of wind or, fair enough, a typhoon,

But that would be like us expecting a dry day in October. Yes I know we get them. But we don’t expect them no matter what Jean Byrne and Joanna Donnelly say.

I mean, you know the way we get a bit of rain here? Grand soft days. Spittin’ rain. That’s down for the day. It’s goin’ to lash. 

We know what to expect.

It’s a bit like the way they expect snow in Antarctica and the odd humid day in the rain forests in Borneo.

And it’s much the same in Japan.

This time of year? Typhoons. Guaranteed.

So how is it that the only “contingency’ plan they had in place in the event of the predictable weather, was no plan at all?

Can you just imagine if the International Rugby Board (IRB) had been in charge of other stuff over the centuries.

Can’t you see the headlines.

“CHRISTMAS CANCELLED DUE TO SNOW.” Half the world celebrating and singing that old classic song “White Christmas” and the IRB saying it had thrown their plans into chaos.

 “HILLERY CALLS OFF EVEREST BID OVER SNOW AT SUMMIT.” That’s what would have happened. The IRB would have looked out the window and said he wasn’t allowed near the mountain until the snow stopped, because it was too slippy.

“LIVINGSTONE SAYS IT WAS TOO HOT TO MEET DR STANLEY.” The IRB would have ruled that, because Factor 50 had not yet been invented, it would  be unsafe for the Doctor to attend the meeting,

“BATTLE OF THE BOYNE POSTPONED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER.” The Met Office of the time might have issued a warning of Storm William or indeed Storm James and warned against taking sharp things like spears out in the rain which was forecast to be ‘heavy in places.”

Rugby. It’s a tough game. For 80 minutes, or more these days if the referee consults the TMO to find out who’s on Graham Norton or the Late Late and don’t bet against that happening, 30 lads are prepared to knock the shite out of each other before sharing a few pints afterwards.

Fans, and I am one, sit or stand in the cold and wet to watch them do it before we too discuss events over a few drinks.

Post match discussions can be just as bruising as the games. But we never postpone them because of the weather.

Of course, life and limb can’t be risked when extreme weather comes. (I remember and Ireland/England Six Nations game due to be played in Lansdowne Road in 1985 being postponed because of snow and we thought “wimps.” A bit of snow and it’s off. For God’s sake.)

Anyway, this is a rant not about the games not being played in a typhoon, it’s a rant about them not being played. 

Plan A? All Good.

Plan B? Balls Up.

And aren’t the rugby haters loving it?