Typhoon threat forces Saturday matches to be called off as Scotland left waiting

England's final Pool C match against France on Saturday morning has been cancelled because of fears of disruption caused by Typhoon Hagibis.

New Zealand's Pool B match against Italy has also been called off but tournament organisers will wait until Sunday to assess whether that day's matches - including the crucial Pool A showdown between hosts Japan and Scotland - can go ahead.

Under tournament rules, any game called off before kick-off time is settled as a 0-0 draw so England and France are awarded two points each, confirming them as first and second in their pool.

As pool winners, England are now in the same half of the draw as favourites New Zealand and the teams could meet in the semi-finals. Italy could have qualified if they had beaten the All Blacks with a bonus point but they were 40-point underdogs.

Most bookmakers' rules stipulate that bets on finishing positions will be settled by the tournament's official standings and firms have confirmed they will go by competition standings set out by World Rugby.

Bet365 spokesman Steve Freeth said the firm will void losing bets on Italy placed after their latest fixture in certain outright markets, while Paddy Power have said they will pay out on all three of Ireland, Scotland and Japan qualifying from Pool A.

Spread firm Sporting Index have settled the cancelled matches as 0-0 draws, but have also awarded an allocation on all long-term markets such as tournament points, tries and shirts based on the mid-point of the spread for each match market.

Pool A's final matches on Sunday are more critical to the qualifying picture. If Scotland v Japan cannot go ahead on Sunday the Scots will be eliminated.

Sky Bet have eased New Zealand to 5-4 to complete a Webb Ellis Cup hat-trick and clipped South Africa to 7-2 and Wales to 8-1.

Betfair and Paddy Power have made the same market move with the Springboks, shortened the Dragons into 15-2 and snipped England into 4-1.

Bet365 and Red Zone have cut Wales to 8-1 so BoyleSports stand alone at 9-1 about Warren Gatland's men grabbing World Cup glory.

Quarter-final draw

Saturday Oct 19 England v Pool D runner-up, New Zealand v Pool A runner-up
Sunday Oct 20 Pool D winner v France, Pool A winner v South Africa

For exclusive Rugby World Cup tips, team breakdowns, betting guides, results and more visit racingpost.com/rugby-world-cup

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