Scots are still planning for Japan
SCOTLAND will continue to prepare as planned for their crucial Pool A clash with Japan in Yokohama on Sunday despite the fixture being threatened by a powerful typhoon tracking towards the Tokyo region, coach Gregor Townsend said.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency is monitoring Typhoon Hagibis, which is expected to lash southern Honshu over the weekend and could put matches in the area in jeopardy.
Scotland’s bonus-point victory over Russia at Shizuoka Stadium yesterday ensured that their clash with Japan will determine who qualifies for the quarter-finals.
“It does look like it is heading into Tokyo this weekend,” Townsend told reporters after his team’s 61-0 victory. “It is a few days away and it could miss the Tokyo area or could still go there.”
Tournament rules state that any pool game which cannot be played will not be rescheduled and instead be recorded as a 0-0 draw, with bonus points unavailable. That would ensure Scotland fail to reach the quarter-finals for just the second time in the tournament’s history.
Townsend said he was unsure whether World Rugby had back-up plans, with media reports suggesting they were considering shifting games to other cities or to other dates.
“We will be getting updates from World Rugby over the next two days over what the contingencies are,” he said. “I am sure that alternative venues or arrangements are being looked at. Not just our game, but England and France play in the same stadium the night before.
“I don’t know if that’s getting looked at for the Ireland-Samoa game (on Saturday) as well, with it being first forecast as (hitting) Fukuoka.”
Townsend said he felt his players had done what was required yesterday to put themselves in position to dash the hopes of the tournament hosts of reaching the knock-out stages for the first time.
“It was a tough game,” Townsend said. “The scoreline doesn’t suggest that, but the effort that went into getting that scoreline by putting pressure on the Russian defence to open up spaces was huge from my players.
“Getting the bonus point... we knew that if we hadn’t got that, Sunday would have been difficult, so getting that was excellent.
“Getting a big score will also keep things interesting for Saturday, as well with the Ireland-Samoa game.
“But also for the confidence – the players know that for two games now we haven’t conceded a point, that’s very encouraging.”
Meanwhile, Argentina coach Mario Ledesma said his team finally delivered the sort of all-court game they had been working towards for months in their 47-19 win over the United States yesterday, but not even the seven-try romp could lift his gloomy tournament outlook.
The Pumas had the crowd on their feet with some wonderful running and handling, even from behind their own tryline, as some of the youngsters drafted in grabbed their opportunity.
Yet the game was a virtual dead rubber for Argentina who, for the first time since 2003, will be watching the quarter-finals from home after their earlier pool defeats by France and England.
“Today was very good in lots of areas but ultimately how I feel about this World Cup is that I’m not satisfied,” Ledesma told a news conference.