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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 meteorological agency called within and it Typhoon Hagibis our innocence and since it was believed it would damage the prospects of making the World Cup quarter-finals of Ireland and boost the opportunities of Scotland, it was nicknamed Hurricane Haggis.
Many Scots were laughing afterward. Nobody was laughing on Saturday as this thing began to growl its strategy towards Yokohama, the venue (hopefully) for Scotlands massive battle with Japan to decide that goes through and who goes out.
Before Hagibis made landfall in Shizouka Prefecture in 7pm local time on Saturday, one man was murdered in Chiba, three were still missing after a landslide in Gunma, 211,600 houses were without electricity and evacuation orders were issued to millions of households.
Planes were trained, trains stopped , roofs were torn off buildings, record rain was captured amid flooding that was terrible. In the 162kmph, winds have been measured In its center and gusting at 234kmph. Each day sombre news presenters stood depicting what they thought was the full scale of this terror approaching. You didnt need to be aware of the language to get the gravity of the message.
Approximately 6.20pm a earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 hit abroad in Katsuura in Chiba. In which the Scotland staff are remaining more than 60 miles away the tremor was felt in Yokohama. Fraser Brown, Scotland hooker, tweeted a video of his hotel corridor moving and creaking from side to side.
About the floor of this Vista resort, as dinner was eaten by guests, the construction swayed. Japan has an history of natural disasters that its people are stoic in these minutes. The team brought food like nothing had happened. To them, it was normal and there was nothing to worry about. To the tourists, it was eerie.
Sunday will bring the sun back into Yokohama – but will we have a match? The word is that World Cup organisers are going to have site review around 6am (22:00 BST) and will announce a decision between 8am and 10am. Thats not a deadline. Technically, they could 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 perform. Its understood that they realised that a decision may come hours earlier when they see it in an online media report on Friday evening. They are livid at the things they say is a scarcity of communication and information from World Rugby.
Relations between both bodies could be worse. Theres going to be ear-splitting outcry from the SRU if the game does not take place. That row will run and run. On its surface the SRU might be limited in their choices but one thing is for sure – in case of a doomsday situation theyre not minded to proceed.
Without wanting to be a hostage to fortune there have been signs late on Saturday in Yokohama which Hagibis, thankfully, wasnt likely to wreak the dreadful havoc called and loss of life and damage to infrastructure wouldnt be anywhere near the realms of the horrors of Kanto and Izu typhoon of 1958, a tragedy that killed 1,200 individuals and one that Hagibis was said to equal.
What does it mean to the almighty saga of all the denouement of Scotland with Japan on Sunday? It is still too early to state. Nobody was when the rain fell and when Hagibis was at its most violent, so nobody knows what damage is present there. Flooding is a major worry.
The organisers may call off it on safety grounds, they might let it go ahead behind closed doors or, even in the event the harm isnt important, the complete show might proceed in front of a capacity crowd. Nobody knows. Until the group of inspectors perform their job, everybody is guessing.
Scotland and Japan continue to prepare like the sport is a certainty, even as they need to. Even without the hubbub of Hagibis and the war of words involving Scottish Rugby and World Rugby with Jamie Joseph, the Japan coach, throwing in his barbs too, this was a Exam that captivated the sport. Now its an unmissable affair for anyone who has ever picked up a ball.
If we get a game, the tv audience in Japan will be enormous, in or around. The hosts would be the team with the support of a lot of the world, past Ireland and Scotland who have a vested interest in those losing. The championship has been electrified by japan. Their brilliantly has been the highlight so far.
Bear in mind that Scotland should take things from the game compared to Japan – and Scotland arent in the company of going into the garden of teams and winning, never mind winning with such a margin. Discounting the victory over Italy at the neutral venue of Singapore, at Townsends time theyve have only managed three away wins from Tier One counties – thats exactly what Japan realistically are now – and only one of them, Argentina in 2018, was by the margin of victory thatll cut it on Sunday.
Of course they can win provided that they got a four-try bonus point. That is tough to see.
Joseph complained the other day that his boys are disrespected in places. It is hard to know whether he meant it or if he said it that his players believed itadding more fuel for their fire. It is not accurate. For this particular Japan side theres been nothing but respect from Scotland.
Theyre a side that can play pace whilst preserving precision, a group of work-rate and skill and ambition. Theirs is a new rugby. Fitness levels are sky high. They havent lacked for resilience. Japan established against Ireland that speed could be as powerful as electricity. The grunt of ireland wasnt any fit for their own energy.
Led by the glorious Michael Leitch, theyre an all-round fine side, hewn in Super Rugby. If Scotland were to win with that magic margin of eight things it goes down as arguably their victory in two years.
Scotland routed Samoa and Russia. Opposition, for certain, but the staff of Gregor Townsend had. Have they discovered something in youth? Sunday will tell. Darcy Graham is a personality. Fearless. Magnus Bradbury is constructing on his promise. Jamie Ritchie is showing exactly what a belligerent player. Blade Thomson is living up to the hype, however that is their Test. That is where they float or float.
Yes, we sofa everything in the knowledge that it was only Russia and Samoa, but the attitude was a thousand times greater than it had been against Ireland. With Scotland you sometimes feel that getting the ideal mindset is half the battle. They have had it and a classic may ensue if they have it again.
They believe theyre ready also have flopped and when acknowledging that they have already been down this road many times. That is an away game and we know what Scotland are usually like when playing in the arena using the stress of a different team on. Nostradamus could have given up calling what this group went to deliver from 1 week to the next, although at their best they can do this.
Then theyll travel in expectation to perform a team if they have to travel to the stadium, however a team possibly burdened by anticipation. The only true wish is that the game is played by needing to call off it, and that the governing body of the sport do undermine their own credibility. The world wishes to see this one. The stakes, and the anticipation, are as high as the highest skyscraper in Yokohama.
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