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From Tom English
BBC Scotland
On Monday morning we woke to the news of a typhoon heading across the Western Pacific Ocean. The agency called it Typhoon Hagibis and in our innocence it had been nicknamed Hurricane Haggis and since it was believed it could damage the prospects of making the World Cup quarter-finals of Ireland and improve the chances of Scotland.
Many Scots laughed afterward. Nobody was laughing on Saturday because this thing started to growl its manner in Yokohama, the venue (hopefully) for Scotlands monumental clash with Japan to choose that goes through and who goes out.
Before Hagibis made landfall on Saturday at Shizouka Prefecture at local time, 1 man was dead in Chiba, three were missing after a landslide in Gunma, 211,600 houses were without electricity and evacuation orders had been issued to millions of families.
Planes were trained, trains stopped , roofs were torn off constructions, record rain was recorded amid flooding. In its centre, winds gusting in 234kmph and have been measured at 162kmph. All day sombre news presenters stood facing graphics depicting what they believed was the full scale of the horror approaching. You did not need to be aware of the language to have their messages gravity.
Approximately 6.20pm a earthquake having a magnitude of 5.7 hit offshore at Katsuura at Chiba. Where the Scotland team are staying, Over 60 miles off the tremor was felt in Yokohama. Scotlands beginning hooker, fraser Brown, tweeted that a video of his hotel corridor moving and Immunology from side to side.
About the 20th floor of the Vista resort, as dinner was eaten by guests, the construction swayed. Japan has such an astounding history of disasters that its individuals are habituated in minutes. Food was brought by the team as if nothing had happened. To them, it was normal and there was nothing to be concerned about. To the tourists, it was spooky.
Sunday will bring back the sun into Yokohama – but will we have a match? The word is that World Cup organisers are going to have site inspection around 6am (22:00 BST) and will announce a decision between 8am and 10am. That is not a hard and fast deadline. Technicallythey could wait until six hours before kick-off – 1.45pm local (05:45 BST) – to create their call.
This was what Scottish Rugby thought they went to do. It is recognized that they only realised evening when they read it in an online media accounts on Friday, that a decision may come hours. Theyre at what they say is a lack of information and communication from World Rugby livid.
Relations between the two bodies could be worse. If the game doesnt occur theres going to be ear-splitting outcry in the SRU. That row operate and will operate. On the surface of it the SRU may be limited in their choices but one thing is for certain – in case of a doomsday scenario they are not minded to proceed quietly.
Without needing to be a hostage to fortune there were no signs late on Saturday at Yokohama which Hagibis, mercifully, was not going 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 disaster that killed 1,200 individuals and one which Hagibis had been said to equal.
What all does it mean to the saga of all the denouement of Scotland with Japan on Sunday? It is still too early to say. Nobody was at the stadium if Hagibis was violent and if the majority rain fell, therefore nobody knows what damage is present . Flooding is a significant worry.
The organisers may call it off they might let it go behind closed doors or, if the harm is not important, the series might go in front of a potential audience. Nobody understands. Until the team of inspectors do their job everybody is imagining.
Japan and scotland continue to prepare as if the match is a certainty, as they need to. Despite the hubbub of Hagibis along with also the war of words involving Scottish Rugby and World Rugby with Jamie Joseph, the Japan trainer, throwing in his barbs also, this was already a Evaluation that captivated the game. Its an unmissable affair for anybody whos ever picked up a ball.
If we get a match, the tv audience in Japan is going to be tremendous, in or around. The hosts are the group with the support of much of the rugby world, past Ireland and Scotland that have a vested interest in them losing. Japan have the tournament. Their brilliantly conceived win across the Irish has been the highlight so far.
Bear in mind that Scotland should take four more points from the sport compared to Japan – and Scotland are not in the company of winning and going into the backyard of teams, not mind winning with such a margin. Discounting the victory over Italy at the neutral venue of Singapore, at Townsends time they have have just managed three away wins against Tier One onwards – thats what Japan realistically are currently – and just one of these, Argentina in 2018, was from the margin of success thatll cut down it on Sunday.
They could win by less than seven points as long they got a bonus point. That is hard to see, nevertheless.
Joseph complained that his boys are disrespected in places. It is hard to know if he meant it or if he only explained it in the hope that his players believed that it adding more fuel for their fire. Its not accurate. For this Japan side there has been nothing but respect from Scotland.
They are a side that could play at pace while maintaining accuracy, a team of ambition and work-rate and ability. Theirs is a chaotic brand of rugby. Fitness levels are sky high. They havent lacked for resilience. Japan established against Ireland that speed could be just as powerful as power. The grunt of ireland was no fit for his or her own energy.
Led from the magnificent Michael Leitch, they are an all-round fine side, hewn in Super Rugby. If Scotland were to win with that margin of eight points it would go down in two years as possibly their most significant single victory.
Scotland routed Samoa and also Russia. Resistance, for sure, however the staff of Gregor Townsend needed a toughness about them that impressed. Have they discovered something in youth? Sunday will tell. Darcy Graham is a character. Fearless. His guarantee is being built on by magnus Bradbury. Just what is being shown a belligerent player he is by jamie Ritchie. Blade Thomson is alive up to the hype, however that is their ultimate Test. That is the place where they float or float.
Yes, we sofa everything in the understanding that it was Russia and Samoa, but the attitude was a million times greater than it had been against Ireland. With Scotland you sometimes feel that getting the ideal mindset is half of the battle. They have had it and a classic might ensue should they have it again.
They think they are ready whilst acknowledging that they have already been down this road many times before and have flopped. That is an off match and we all know what Scotland are usually like when playing in the arena together using the pressure of another team on. Nostradamus would have given up calling what this group went to deliver from one week to another, although at their best they can do so.
Should they have to travel to the scene theyll travel to play a team, however, a staff burdened by expectation. The only true desire is that the sport is performed by needing to take off it and the governing body of the game dont further undermine their own credibility. The rugby world wishes to observe this one. The stakes, and the expectancy, are as large as the highest skyscraper at Yokohama.

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