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By Tom English
BBC Scotland
On Monday morning we awakened to the news of a typhoon heading across the Western Pacific Ocean bound for Japan. The national agency known as it Typhoon Hagibis and within our innocence and since it was believed it could damage the chances of making the World Cup quarter-finals of Ireland and improve the likelihood of Scotland, it was filmed Hurricane Haggis.
Scots were laughing afterward. Nobody had been laughing on Saturday as this thing began to growl its way towards Yokohama, the place (hopefully) for Scotlands massive battle with Japan to decide who goes through and that goes out.
One man was murdered in Chiba, three were missing after a landslide at Gunma before Hagibis made landfall at Shizouka Prefecture in local time on Saturday, 211,600 homes were without power and evacuation orders had been issued to millions of families.
Planes were trained, trains halted, roofs were torn off buildings, record rain was recorded amid flooding. At its centre, winds gusting at 234kmph and have been measured in the 162kmph. All day news presenters stood depicting what they believed was the complete scale of the terror. You did not need to know the language to find the messages gravity.
About 6.20pm an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 hit abroad at Katsuura at Chiba. In which the Scotland team are staying more than 60 miles away the tremor was felt in Yokohama. Scotland hooker, fraser Brown, tweeted that a video of his resort corridor moving and creaking from side to side.
On the floor of this Vista hotel, as guests ate supper, the building swayed softly. Japan has an astounding history of disasters that its individuals are caked in these minutes. Food was brought by the team as if nothing had happened. To them, it was normal and there was nothing to be worried about. To the tourists, it was spooky.
Sunday will bring the sun back into Yokohama – but can we have a game? The word is that World Cup organisers are going to have site inspection around 6am (22:00 BST) and can announce a decision between 8am and 10am. Thats not a hard and fast deadline. Technicallythey can wait until six hours before kick-off – 1.45pm local (05:45 BST) – to create their call.
That was exactly what Scottish Rugby thought they went to do. Its known that they just realised evening when they read it on Friday, that a decision may come hours. They are livid at what they say is a lack of information and communication.
Relations between both bodies could scarcely be worse. Theres likely to be most ear-splitting outcry from the SRU if the game does not take place. That row run and will operate. On its surface the SRU might be restricted in their choices but one thing is for sure – in case of a doomsday scenario they are not ready to proceed.
Without wanting to become a hostage to fortune there had been indications late on Saturday in Yokohama that Hagibis, mercifully, wasnt likely to wreak the terrible havoc called and that 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 disaster that killed 1,200 people and one which Hagibis had been said to rival.
What does it mean for the almighty saga of Scotlands denouement with Japan on Sunday? It is still too early to say. Nobody was when the most heavy rain fell and when Hagibis was barbarous, so no one knows what damage is present . Flooding is a major worry.
It might be still called by the organisers off they might allow it to proceed behind closed doors or, even the show that is complete might go in front of a capacity crowd, if the damage isnt important. Nobody understands. Everybody is imagining until the group of inspectors perform their work.
Scotland and Japan continue to prepare like the sport is a certainty, even as they must. Despite the war of words between Scottish Rugby and World Rugby with Jamie Joseph, the Japan coach, throwing into his barbs too and Hagibis hubbub, this was already a Exam that captivated the sport. Its an unmissable affair for anybody who has ever picked up a ball.
If we get a match, the tv audience in Japan will be huge, in or around. The hosts will be the team with the support of a lot of the rugby world, beyond Scotland and Ireland that have a vested interest in those losing. The championship has been electrified by japan. Their brilliantly conceived win within the Irish was the highlight up to now.
Remember that Scotland need to take four more things out of the match than Japan – and Scotland are not in the business of entering the garden of stellar teams and winning, not mind winning by such a margin. Discounting the victory over Italy in the neutral venue of Singapore, at Townsends time they have just managed three off wins from Tier One onwards – that is what Japan realistically are currently – and just one of them, Argentina at 2018, was by the margin of success thatll cut down it on Sunday.
They can win by less than seven points as they got a four-try bonus point. Thats difficult to see.
Joseph complained that his boys have been disrespected in places. Its tough to know if he meant it or if he explained it that his players thought itadding more fuel. Its not true. For this Japan side theres been nothing but respect from Scotland.
Theyre a team of ambition and work-rate and skill, a side that may play at pace while preserving precision. Theirs is a new rugby. Fitness levels are high. They havent lacked for resilience. Japan established against Ireland that speed could be equally as effective as power in the modern game. Irelands grunt wasnt any match for their own energy.
Led from the glorious Michael Leitch, they are an fine side, hewn in Super Rugby in their Sunwolves experiences. It goes down as their most important single triumph in two decades, if Scotland were to triumph with that margin of eight points.
Scotland routed Russia and also Samoa. Opposition, for sure, but the team of Gregor Townsend had a toughness about them that impressed. Have they discovered something in childhood? Sunday will tell. Darcy Graham is a irrepressible character. Fearless. His promise is being built on by magnus Bradbury. Jamie Ritchie is currently showing what a belligerent player. Blade Thomson is currently living up to the hype, however this is their ultimate Test. This is where they float or sink.
Yes, we couch everything that it had been Samoa and Russia, but the attitude was a million times greater than it had been against Ireland. With Scotland you occasionally feel that obtaining the right mindset is half of the battle. They have had it in recent games and then a classic might ensue should they have it .
They think theyre prepared have flopped and whilst recognizing that theyve already been down this road many times before. That is an off game and we all know what Scotland are generally like when playing the arena using the strain of a different team on. Nostradamus could have given up calling what this team was about to deliver from 1 week to another, although at their best they can do this.
Theyll travel in expectation to perform with a team, if they have to travel to the stadium, however, a staff possibly burdened by anticipation. The only wish is that the game is played and the governing body of the sport do undermine their own credibility by having to take off it. The rugby world would like to find this one. The stakes, as well as the anticipation, are as high as the maximum skyscraper in Yokohama.
Read more: https://conservativewatchnews.org/ufc/odds