Our partners and we use cookies to provide you with the very best experience, including to content and personalise advertising. Information on the advertisements and your discussion with this site may be shared with companies.
Please let us know whether you agree.
By Tom English
BBC Scotland
On Monday morning we awakened to the information of a typhoon heading round the Western Pacific Ocean. The national agency known as it Typhoon Hagibis and within our innocence it had been nicknamed Hurricane Haggis, and since it was thought it would damage the prospects of making the World Cup quarter-finals of Ireland and boost the opportunities of Scotland.
Many Scots laughed then. Nobody had been laughing on Saturday as something began to growl its manner towards Yokohama, the venue (hopefully) for Scotlands monumental clash with Japan to determine who goes through and who goes out.
Before Hagibis made landfall in Shizouka Prefecture in 7pm local time 1 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 families.
Planes were trained, trains stopped roofs were torn off buildings, record rainfall was captured amid flooding. At 162kmph, winds were measured In its centre and gusting in 234kmph. All day news presenters stood facing images depicting what they thought was the full scale of the terror approaching. You did not need to be aware of the language to acquire the gravity of their message.
Approximately 6.20pm a earthquake having a magnitude of 5.7 hit offshore in Katsuura at Chiba. Where the Scotland staff are remaining more than 60 miles away the tremor was felt in Yokohama. Fraser Brown, Scotland hooker, tweeted that a movie of his hotel corridor moving and Immunology from side to side.
On the floor of the Vista resort, as dinner was eaten by guests, the building swayed. Japan has such an history of disasters which its people are stoic in these moments. The staff brought food like nothing had happened. To them, it was normal and that there was nothing to be concerned about. To the tourists, it was spooky.
Sunday will bring the sunshine back to Yokohama – but can we have a game? The word is that World Cup organisers are going to have site review around 6am (22:00 BST) and can announce a decision between 8am and 10am. That is not a hard and fast deadline. Technicallythey can wait till six hours prior to kick-off – 1.45pm neighborhood (05:45 BST) – to make their call.
That was exactly what Scottish Rugby thought they were likely to do. It is understood that they realised that a decision may come hours earlier when they read it on Friday evening. They are livid at the things they say is a lack of information and communication from World Rugby.
Relations between the two bodies could be worse. There is going to be outcry in the SRU if the game does not occur. This row operate and will run. On the face of it the SRU might be restricted in their options but one thing is for certain – in the event of a doomsday scenario theyre not ready to proceed.
Without wanting to become a hostage to fortune there were no signs late on Saturday in Yokohama which Hagibis, thankfully, wasnt likely to wreak the terrible havoc called and that loss of life and damage to infrastructure wouldnt 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 equal.
What all does it mean for the saga of Scotlands denouement with Japan on Sunday? Its still too early to state. Nobody was in the scene if Hagibis was at its most barbarous and when the most heavy rain fell, therefore no one knows what damage is present . Flooding is a significant worry.
The organisers might call off it on security grounds, they might allow it to go ahead behind closed doors or, even the full series might go ahead in front of a capacity crowd, if the harm isnt important. Nobody understands. Until the team of inspectors do their job everybody is guessing.
Japan and scotland continue to prepare like the match is a certainty, even as they need to. Even without also the war of words between Scottish Rugby and World Rugby using Jamie Joseph throwing in his barbs too and the hubbub of Hagibis, that was already a Evaluation that captivated the sport. Now its an affair for anybody whos ever picked up a soccer ball.
If we get a match, the television audience in Japan is going to be tremendous, in or around 60m. The hosts are the team with the aid of a lot of the rugby world, past Scotland and Ireland that have a vested interest in those losing. The tournament has been electrified by japan. Their brilliantly was the highlight so far.
Remember that Scotland should take more things from the sport than Japan – and Scotland arent in the business of winning and going into the backyard of teams, not mind winning by a margin. Discounting the victory over Italy at the neutral venue of Singapore, in Townsends time they have only managed three away wins against Tier One counties – that is what Japan realistically are now – and only one of these, Argentina in 2018, was from the margin of success thatll cut it on Sunday.
Of course they can win by less than seven points provided that they have a four-try bonus point. That is difficult to see.
Joseph complained that his boys are disrespected in areas. It is hard to understand if he meant it or should he simply said it that his players believed that it adding more fuel to their fire. It is not true. Theres been nothing but admiration for this Japan side.
Theyre a team of skill and work-rate and ambition, a negative that could play at pace while maintaining precision. Theirs is a chaotic new rugby. Fitness levels are high. They have not lacked for resilience. Japan proved that rate can be as powerful as power. Irelands grunt wasnt any fit for their own energy.
Led from the Michael Leitch, they are an fine side, hewn in their Sunwolves experiences in Super Rugby. That it would go down as their most single triumph in just two decades if Scotland were to win with that magic margin of eight things.
Scotland hauled Samoa and Russia. Sub-standard resistance, for certain, but Gregor Townsends staff had a toughness about them that impressed. Have they found something in youth? Sunday will tell. Darcy Graham is an personality. Fearless. Magnus Bradbury is building on his promise. Just what is being shown a belligerent player by jamie Ritchie. Blade Thomson is currently living up to the hype, however this is their ultimate Test. That is where they sink or float.
Yes, we couch everything in the understanding that it had been only Russia and Samoa, but the mindset was a million times greater than it was against Ireland. With Scotland you occasionally feel that acquiring the ideal mindset is half the battle. Theyve had it lately matches and if they have it again afterward a classic can ensue.
They think they are ready whilst acknowledging that they have already been down this road many times and have flopped. This is an away match and we understand like when playing another teams stadium with the pressure on, what Scotland are. Nostradamus could have given up calling what this team went to deliver from 1 week to the next, although at their best they could do so.
Then theyll travel in hope to play a team, Should they get to travel to the scene, however, a team burdened by anticipation. The only desire is that the sport is performed by having to call off it, and their own credibility isnt further undermined by the governing body of the sport. The rugby world wants to find this one. The anticipation, as well as the stakes, are as large as the highest skyscraper at Yokohama.
Read more here: http://azaadbharatbooking.com/best-online-sports-betting-sites/