How can Scotland qualify for the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals against Japan?
SCOTLAND kept their Rugby World Cup quarter-final hopes alive with a bonus point win over Russia.
Gregor Townsend's men ran in nine tries against the group whipping boys and now face the harder part of their task when they take on hosts Japan on Sunday - and thankfully it will go ahead after Typhoon Hagibis.
Is Japan vs Scotland cancelled by Typhoon Hagibis?
Thankfully for all Scotland fans, the game will go ahead.
Under Rugby World Cup rules, any match cancelled by adverse weather conditions will be registered as a 0-0 draw, with two points awarded to both teams.
In those circumstances, Japan would qualify automatically while Scotland would be ELIMINATED.
How can Scotland qualify for Rugby World Cup quarter-final?
Scotland's bonus point win over Russia means they still have a realistic chance of qualification.
But as Rugby World Cup groups are decided on head-to-head record rather than points difference, their task is still a challenging one.
For Scotland to progress, they must do one of the following:
- Beat Japan by eight points or more, thus denying the hosts a losing bonus point.
- Beat Japan and score four tries or more to win with a bonus point (provided Japan don't score four tries and lose by less than eight).
Pool A fixtures and results
Japanese time in brackets.
Friday, September 20: Japan 30-10 Russia
Sunday, September 22: Ireland 27-3 Scotland
Tuesday, September 24: Russia 9-34 Samoa
Saturday, September 28: Japan 19-12 Ireland
Monday, September 30: Scotland 34-0 Samoa
Thursday, October 3: Ireland 35-0 Russia
Saturday, October 5: Japan 38-19 Samoa
Wednesday, October 9: Scotland 61-0 Russia
Saturday, October 12: Ireland 47-5 Samoa
Sunday, October 13: Japan vs Scotland - 11.45am (7.45pm)