Storm clouds over World Cup

Players try to ignore Typhoon Hagibis

OSAKA: Rugby players don’t scare easily; not even when there’s a super typhoon heading for them.

Some of sport’s toughest guys are waiting for the arrival of Typhoon Hagibis, which is bearing down on Japan and the Rugby World Cup, and is set to arrive during a weekend of crucial games.

“Personally, I’ve never been a part of something like this. And it’s interesting,” said Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus.

Two matches scheduled for today were cancelled. The teams were told by organisers to stay indoors, and out of the way of the torrential rain and destructive winds expected to hammer Japan’s main island.

“I’ve never been in a typhoon,” said Sam Whitelock, the bearded, 2m All Black forward, while Japan player Keita Inagaki, said: “It’s not something we can control, so I don’t care about it at all.”

Inagaki’s biggest concern of the weekend was choosing the right boots for tomorrow when Japan plays Scotland in a massive game for the host country.

If Japan wins, it will proceed to the quarter-finals of the World Cup for the first time, the first Asian team to do that.

Inagaki’s preparations for the typhoon and its aftermath: “The turf might be wet so I’ll take a couple of pairs of boots with different lengths of studs.”

Inagaki’s teammate, Shota Horie, was confident his country would ride out the typhoon and be able to set up the stadium in Yokohama, near Tokyo, in time for the big game against Scotland on Sunday night.

“I think the match will go ahead, (and) of course we’ll win and progress to the last eight,” he said. “I’m not thinking about anything else.”

Generally, the players are getting on with it at the Rugby World Cup.

The teams will train indoors today because there’s really no other option.

New Zealand’s players had a full-on, full-contact practise match among themselves because their game against Italy was one of the two to be cancelled today. The other match was between England and France.

Organisers were criticised for cancelling today’s games and having no back-up plan for a different day or at a different venue. Tomorrow’s matches could still be cancelled, too.

But the organisers had little option considering the logistical difficulties of moving games in a tight schedule.

Most of the teams have understood, and just got on with it, with marvellous understatement at times.

RASSIE ERASMUS