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From Tom English
BBC Scotland
On Monday morning we woke to a typhoon heading across the Western Pacific Ocean bound for Japans news. The national meteorological agency known as it Typhoon Hagibis and in our innocence and since it was believed it could damage the prospects of making the World Cup quarter-finals of Ireland and boost the likelihood of Scotland, it was filmed Hurricane Haggis.
Scots were laughing . Nobody was laughing on Saturday because this thing began to growl its strategy from Yokohama, the place (hopefully) for Scotlands monumental clash with Japan to determine that goes through and that goes out.
1 person was murdered in Chiba, three were still missing after a landslide in Gunma even before Hagibis made landfall in Shizouka Prefecture in 7pm local time on Saturday, 211,600 homes were without electricity and evacuation orders had been issued to millions of households.
Planes were trained, trains stopped roofs were torn off buildings, record rainfall was recorded amid flooding that was horrible. At 162kmph, winds were measured During its centre and gusting in 234kmph. All day sombre news presenters stood facing graphics depicting what they thought was the full scale of this horror. You didnt need to understand the language to acquire the messages gravity.
Around 6.20pm a earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 hit offshore in Katsuura at Chiba. Over 60 miles off the tremor was felt in Yokohama in which the Scotland staff are currently staying. The starting hooker of Scotland, fraser Brown, tweeted that a movie of his hotel corridor moving and creaking from side to side.
On the 20th floor of this Vista hotel, as supper was eaten by guests, the building swayed softly. Japan has an astonishing history of disasters which its individuals are caked in minutes. The team brought food as if nothing had happened. To them, this was normal and there wasnt anything to be concerned about. To the tourists, it was eerie.
Sunday will bring back the sunshine into Yokohama – but can we have a match? The term is that World Cup organisers are going to have site review around 6am (22:00 BST) and can announce a choice between 8am and 10am. That is not a hard and fast deadline. Technicallythey can wait till six hours before kick-off – 1.45pm local (05:45 BST) – to make their call.
This was exactly what Scottish Rugby believed they were likely to do. Its recognized that they just realised that a decision might come hours when they see it on Friday. Theyre at what they say is a lack of information and communication livid.
Relations between the two bodies could be worse. There is going to be ear-splitting outcry from the SRU if the game does not occur. This row will operate and run. On its surface the SRU may be restricted in their options but only one thing is for sure – in case of a doomsday scenario they are not minded to move quietly.
Without needing to be a hostage to fortune there had been signs late on Saturday at Yokohama that Hagibis, mercifully, was not likely to wreak the dreadful havoc called and loss of life and damage to infrastructure would not be anywhere near the realms of the horrors of Kanto and Izu typhoon of 1958, a tragedy that killed 1,200 people and one that Hagibis had been said to rival.
What does it mean with Japan on Sunday to the saga of all the denouement of Scotland? Its still too early to say. Nobody was if the most heavy rain fell and if Hagibis was violent, so nobody knows what damage is present there. Flooding is a major worry.
The organisers may call off it they might let it proceed behind closed doors or, the series that is full might go ahead in front of a potential audience, in the event the damage is not important. Nobody knows. Until the group of inspectors do their job, everybody is imagining.
Scotland and Japan continue to prepare like the sport is a certainty, even as they must. Despite Hagibis hubbub along with the war of words involving Scottish Rugby and World Rugby with Jamie Joseph throwing into his barbs also, this was already a Exam that captivated the game. Now its an unmissable affair for anybody whos ever picked up a rugby ball.
The television audience in Japan will be huge, in or around, if we receive a match. The hosts would be the group with the aid of a lot of the rugby world, past Scotland and Ireland that have a vested interest in them losing. Japan have the championship. Their brilliantly was the highlight so far.
Keep in mind that Scotland need to take four more things out of the sport compared to Japan – and Scotland arent in the company of winning and entering the backyard of teams, not mind winning by a margin. Discounting the victory over Italy at the neutral venue of Singapore, in Townsends time they have have only managed three off wins from Tier One counties – that is exactly what Japan realistically are now – and just one of these, Argentina at 2018, was by the margin of victory thatll cut it on Sunday.
Of course they could win by less than seven points as they got a four-try bonus stage. Thats hard to see.
Joseph complained the other day that his boys are disrespected in places. It is tough to know if he intended it or should he only explained it in the expectation that his players believed that it adding more fuel to their fire. It is not true, however. For this particular Japan side theres been nothing but admiration from Scotland.
They are a group of ambition and work-rate and ability, a negative that could play at pace while preserving precision. Theirs is a chaotic new rugby. Fitness levels are sky high. They have not lacked for resilience. Japan established against Ireland that rate could be as powerful as power. The grunt of ireland was no match for his or her own energy.
Directed by the magnificent Michael Leitch, they are an all-round fine side, hewn from their Sunwolves experiences in Super Rugby. It goes down as their most significant single victory in just two decades if Scotland were to win with that margin of eight things.
Scotland routed Samoa and Russia. Sub-standard opposition, for sure, however the team of Gregor Townsend needed a toughness about them that impressed. Have they discovered something in childhood? Sunday will inform. Darcy Graham is a irrepressible character. Fearless. Magnus Bradbury is constructing on his promise. Jamie Ritchie is currently revealing exactly what a player. Blade Thomson is currently living up to the hype, however that is their Test today. This is the place where they swim or sink.
Yes, we couch everything from the knowledge that it was only Samoa and Russia, but the attitude was a million times greater than it was against Ireland. Together with Scotland you sometimes feel that getting the perfect mindset is half of the battle. Theyve had it lately matches and should they have it in Yokohama then a classic could ensue.
They believe they are prepared when recognizing that they have already been down this road many times before and also have flopped. This is an off match and we understand like when playing the arena with the strain of another team on what Scotland are. Nostradamus could have given up predicting what this group was likely to send from 1 week to the next, although at their best they could do this.
If they get to go to the stadium then they will travel in hope to play a team, however, a team possibly burdened by expectation. The only true wish is that the sport is played by having to call it off, and that the governing body of the game do not further undermine their own credibility. The rugby world would like to find this one. The expectancy, as well as the stakes, are as large as the maximum skyscraper in Yokohama.
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