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From Tom English
BBC Scotland
On Monday morning we awakened to a typhoon going round the Western Pacific Ocean bound for Japans news. The national agency known as it Typhoon Hagibis and in our innocence it had been nicknamed Hurricane Haggis and since it was thought it could damage the chances of making the World Cup quarter-finals of Ireland and boost the chances of Scotland.
Scots laughed afterward. Nobody had been laughing on Saturday because something started to growl its way from Yokohama, the place (hopefully) for Scotlands monumental clash with Japan to decide that goes through and that moves out.
Before Hagibis made landfall at Shizouka Prefecture in 7pm local time on Saturday, one person was murdered in Chiba, three were missing after a landslide at Gunma, 211,600 homes were without electricity and evacuation orders were issued to millions of households.
Planes were grounded, trains stopped roofs were torn off buildings, record rain was captured amid flooding. At its centre, winds gusting at 234kmph and were measured at 162kmph. All day news presenters stood depicting what they believed was the full scale of the horror. You didnt need to understand the language to find their messages gravity.
About 6.20pm a earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 hit offshore at Katsuura at Chiba. Where the Scotland staff are remaining, more than 60 miles off the tremor was felt in Yokohama. Scotlands starting hooker, fraser Brown, tweeted that a video of his resort corridor moving and creaking from side to side.
On the 20th floor of the Vista resort, as supper was eaten by guests, the construction swayed softly. Japan has an astonishing history of natural disasters that its people are stoic in minutes. The team brought food like nothing had occurred. To them, this was normal and that there was nothing to be worried about. To the tourists, it was eerie.
Sunday will bring the sunshine back to Yokohama – but will we have a game? The term is that World Cup organisers will have a site inspection around 6am (22:00 BST) and can announce a decision between 8am and 10am. Thats not a deadline. Technically, they could wait till six hours prior to kick-off – 1.45pm neighborhood (05:45 BST) – to create their telephone.
That was exactly what Scottish Rugby believed they went to do. Its known that they only realised evening when they read it on Friday, a decision may come hours before. They are livid at the things they say is a lack of communication and information from World Rugby.
Relations between the two bodies could scarcely be worse. If the game does not occur theres going to be outcry in the SRU. That row will operate and operate. On the face of it the SRU might be limited in their choices but one thing is for certain – in case of a doomsday situation they are not minded to go quietly.
Without needing to be a hostage to fortune there have been signs late on Saturday at Yokohama which Hagibis, mercifully, wasnt likely to wreak the dreadful havoc predicted 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 was said to equal.
What does it mean for the almighty saga of all the denouement of Scotland with Japan on Sunday? It is still too early to state. Nobody was when Hagibis was violent and when the most heavy rain fell, therefore nobody knows what damage exists . Flooding is a significant worry.
It might be still called by the organisers off on safety reasons, they might let it go ahead behind closed doors or, even if the harm is not significant, the show that is complete might go ahead in front of a capacity crowd. Nobody knows. Before the group of inspectors do their job everybody is guessing.
Scotland and Japan continue to prepare as they need to, like the game is a certainty. Despite Hagibis hubbub and also the war of words involving Scottish Rugby and World Rugby with Jamie Joseph throwing into his barbs too, that was a Exam that captivated the sport. Now its an affair for anybody who has ever picked up a ball.
The tv audience in Japan will be tremendous, in or around, if we receive a match. The hosts will be the group with the aid of much of the rugby world, beyond Ireland and Scotland that have a vested interest in them losing. Japan have electrified the championship. Their brilliantly has been the highlight so far.
Keep in mind that Scotland need to take things from the game compared to Japan – and Scotland arent in the business of entering the garden of stellar teams and winning, not mind winning by a margin. Discounting the victory over Italy in the neutral venue of Singapore, at Townsends time they have only managed three off wins from Tier One counties – thats what Japan realistically are currently – and just one of these, Argentina in 2018, was from the margin of success that will cut down it on Sunday.
They can win by less than seven points as they got a bonus stage. That is difficult to see.
Joseph complained that his boys have been disrespected in places. It is hard to know whether he meant it or should he simply explained it in the hope that his players thought that it adding more fuel. Its not accurate, however. For this particular Japan side theres been nothing but admiration from Scotland.
Theyre a side that can play pace while preserving accuracy, a group of ambition and work-rate and ability. Theirs is a twisted new rugby. Fitness levels are high. They have not lacked for resilience. Japan proved that rate can be as effective as power in todays game. Irelands grunt was no game for their energy.
Led by the magnificent Michael Leitch, theyre an all-round fine side, hewn in Super Rugby. If Scotland were to win with that magic margin of eight points that it goes down as arguably their most significant single victory in two years.
Scotland hauled Samoa and Russia. Sub-standard resistance, for sure, but the team of Gregor Townsend had. Have they discovered something in youth? Sunday will inform. Darcy Graham is a character. Fearless. His guarantee is being built on by magnus Bradbury. Jamie Ritchie is currently revealing just what a player. Blade Thomson is alive 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 Samoa and Russia, but the attitude was a million times greater than it had been against Ireland. Together with Scotland you sometimes feel that obtaining the ideal mindset is half the battle. They have had it lately matches and then a classic can ensue if they have it in Yokohama.
They believe theyre prepared whilst recognizing that theyve been down this road many times and also have flopped. That is an off game and we all know what Scotland are normally like when playing another teams arena with the stress on. At their best they could do so, however Nostradamus would have given up predicting what this group went to deliver from one week to another.
Theyll travel in hope to play with a team, Should they get to travel to the stadium, however, a team maybe burdened by expectation. The only true wish is that the game is performed by having to call it off and the governing body of the game do undermine their credibility. The world would like to observe this one. The anticipation, as well as the bets, are as large as the maximum skyscraper at Yokohama.
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