Travel chaos caused by Storm Amy has forced the postponement of a major rugby clash. Connacht’s encounter with Scarlets was called off after the Welsh side endured a travel nightmare while attempting to reach Ireland. They were scheduled to depart Bristol Airport at 1.30pm on Friday, but were initially told of a 90-minute delay.
Following their eventual departure, the plane was unable to land in Dublin due to ferocious winds after two failed landing attempts and was diverted to Manchester, arriving at 5.30pm. Astonishingly, the players remained trapped on the Ryanair plane for over five hours, with scrum-half Gareth Davies sharing an image of his exhausted teammate Ioan Nicholas on social media.
Saturday’s fixture between Connacht and the Scarlets in Galway was eventually cancelled late on Friday night, with the Westerners stating they were ‘extremely disappointed’ with the result.
They said: “Connacht Rugby are extremely disappointed with this news and apologise to all our supporters and travelling fans who have bought tickets for this game.
“All tickets purchased for this game will be valid for the rescheduled fixture. Further details on this and other options will be released when the rescheduled fixture is announced.”
Scarlets released a statement of their own, saying: “The BKT United Rugby Championship Round 2 fixture between Connacht Rugby and Scarlets Rugby has been postponed.
“Due to major travel disruptions and flight cancellations for the Scarlets caused by Storm Amy, the fixture which was due to take place Saturday October 4 in Galway will now be postponed to a later date.
“The BKT URC will now consider available dates with broadcasters and both clubs to reschedule the game.”
Meanwhile, there was also chaos on Merseyside with Everton forced to close part of their stadium site due to the brutal conditions.
Their game against Crystal Palace on Sunday will go ahead as planned despite Storm Amy forcing them to shut down parts of their ground.
In a statement, Everton said: “We can advise that due to Storm Amy, and the severe weather currently affecting the region, Everton Way and the Originals Fan Wall at Hill Dickinson Stadium have been closed to visitors in the interests of safety.
“The closure will not impact preparations for tomorrow’s Premier League fixture.”