Untrue.

The IRFU have fired back at outspoken journalist Stephen Jones after he made “false claims” about them in an article for the Sunday Times.

After it was revealed this morning that Scotland and Japan’s crucial Pool A clash will go ahead, Jones claims Ireland and New Zealand both tried to stop that match from taking place. Giving very little reasoning as to why.

“The last thing they [World Rugby] needed were the interventions by Ireland and New Zealand,” Jones wrote in the Times.

“We understand the latter may have been dismayed by changes to their itinerary but the motivation of Ireland to stop the Scotland v Japan game taking place is unclear. There is no suggestion it was because they are one of three teams involved in the battle for qualifying — their match with Samoa yesterday was never in doubt as it was played well away from the storm’s path.

“The Irish and Scottish Unions have been at loggerheads for some time after Scotland did not vote for the Irish bid to host the 2023 World Cup.”

Understandably, the IRFU are not happy and have released the following strongly-worded statement.

“The statement by Stephen Jones in today’s edition of The Sunday Times (October 14, 2019) referring to The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) being ‘vehemently opposed’ to any rearrangement of the Scotland V Japan Rugby World Cup fixture is completely false and the inference within the article that the IRFU made representations to World Rugby on the matter is totally without foundation.”

“The Irish Rugby Football Union calls on Stephen Jones to immediately withdraw this scurrilous and untrue allegation.”