Our partners and we use cookies to provide you with the very best internet experience, such as to content and personalise advertising. Data about the ads and your discussion with this website may be shared with all firms.
Please let us know whether you agree.
From Tom English
BBC Scotland
On Monday morning we awakened to the news of a typhoon heading round the Western Pacific Ocean. The national agency known as it Typhoon Hagibis and within our innocence and because it was believed it might damage the chances of making the World Cup quarter-finals of Ireland and increase the chances of Scotland, it was nicknamed Hurricane Haggis.
Many Scots laughed . Nobody had been laughing on Saturday as something began to growl its manner in Yokohama, the venue (ideally ) for Scotlands monumental clash with Japan to decide who goes through and who goes out.
One person was murdered in Chiba, three were still missing after a landslide at Gunma even before Hagibis made landfall on Saturday in Shizouka Prefecture in 7pm local time, 211,600 homes were without electricity and evacuation orders had been issued to millions of households.
Planes were trained, trains haltedroofs were ripped off buildings, record rainfall was recorded amid flooding. In its centre, winds have been measured at 162kmph and gusting in 234kmph. Each day sombre news presenters stood depicting what they believed was the full scale of this terror approaching. You did not need to be aware of the language to have the messages gravity.
Around 6.20pm an earthquake having a magnitude of 5.7 hit offshore 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 resort 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 such an astounding history of natural disasters that its people are stoic in these moments. Food was brought by the staff like nothing had happened. To them, it was normal and there wasnt anything to worry about. To the tourists, it was spooky.
Sunday will bring the sun 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. That is not a hard and fast deadline. Technicallythey could wait until six hours before kick-off – 1.45pm neighborhood (05:45 BST) – to make their telephone.
This was what Scottish Rugby thought they were likely to perform. It is understood that they realised a decision might come hours when they read it on Friday evening. They are at what they say is a scarcity of communication and information from World Rugby livid.
Relations between both bodies could scarcely be worse. If the game doesnt occur theres likely to be most ear-splitting outcry from the SRU. This row will operate and run. On its face the SRU might be limited in their choices but one thing is for sure – in the event of a doomsday situation they are not ready to move quietly.
Without needing to become a hostage to fortune there have been signs late on Saturday in Yokohama which Hagibis, thankfully, wasnt likely to wreak the terrible havoc predicted 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 tragedy that killed 1,200 individuals and one which Hagibis had been said to equal.
What all does it mean for Scotlands denouements almighty saga with Japan on Sunday? It is still too early to state. Nobody was in the scene if Hagibis was barbarous and when the most heavy rain fell, so nobody knows what damage exists . Flooding is a significant worry.
The organisers may call off it on security reasons, they might allow it to go ahead behind closed doors or, even in the event the harm isnt significant, the series that is full might go in front of a capacity crowd. Nobody understands. Everybody is imagining before the team of inspectors perform their job.
Scotland and Japan continue to prepare like the sport is a certainty, as they must. Even without the war of words involving Scottish Rugby and World Rugby with Jamie Joseph throwing into his barbs also and the hubbub of Hagibis, that was a Evaluation that captivated the sport. Now its an affair for anyone who has ever picked up a soccer ball.
The television audience in Japan will be enormous, in or around, if we receive a game. The hosts would be the group with the support of much of the rugby world, past Scotland and Ireland who have a vested interest in them losing. The tournament has electrified. Their brilliantly has been the highlight up to now.
Bear in mind that Scotland should take things out of the match than Japan – and Scotland are not in the business of winning and entering the garden of teams, never mind winning by such a margin. Discounting the victory over Italy at the neutral venue of Singapore, in Townsends time they have have just managed three away wins against Tier One counties – thats what Japan realistically are currently – and only one of these, Argentina at 2018, was from the margin of success thatll cut down it on Sunday.
They could win as they have a four-try bonus stage. That is difficult to see.
Joseph complained the other day that his boys have been disrespected in areas. Its hard to know if he intended it or if he simply explained it that his players thought it, adding more fuel to their fire. Its not accurate, however. For this Japan side theres been nothing but admiration from Scotland.
Theyre a negative that could play at pace whilst preserving precision, a team of work-rate and skill and ambition. Theirs is a chaotic brand of rugby. Fitness levels are high. They have not lacked for resilience. Japan proved that speed could be as effective as electricity. Irelands grunt was no match for his or her own energy.
Directed by the Michael Leitch, they are an fine side, hewn in Super Rugby in their Sunwolves adventures. If Scotland were to win with that margin of eight factors that it would go down in just two decades.
Scotland routed Russia and Samoa. Sub-standard resistance, for sure, but the staff of Gregor Townsend needed. Have they found something in youth? Sunday will tell. Darcy Graham is an character. Fearless. His promise is being built on by magnus Bradbury. Jamie Ritchie is currently showing just what a player. Blade Thomson is alive up to the hype, but that is their ultimate Test today. This is the place where they float or float.
Yes, we couch everything from the knowledge that it had been only Samoa and Russia, but the attitude was a thousand times better than it had been against Ireland. Together with Scotland you sometimes feel that acquiring the right mindset is half of the battle. Theyve had it and afterward a classic might ensue should they have it .
They believe they are ready have flopped and while recognizing that they have already been down this road many times. This is an away game and we understand like when playing in another teams arena with the pressure on, what Scotland are generally. Nostradamus would have given up predicting what this group was likely to send from 1 week to the next, although at their best they can do so.
Theyll travel to perform with a team, Should they get to go to the scene, however a staff maybe burdened by anticipation. The one true desire is that the game is played by having to call it off and that the governing body of the sport do not further undermine their credibility. The world wishes to see this one. The bets, as well as the anticipation, are as large as the maximum skyscraper in Yokohama.
Read more here: http://mylara.webzebeo.in/nascar-at-las-vegas-odds-picks-2019-model-says-aric-almirola-surprises-at-pennzoil-400/