JAPAN’S TYPHOON SEASON SHOULD NOT HAVE COME AS A BIG SURPRISE

THERE have been a lot of folk coming over all meteorological on the subject of Japanese typhoons. Usually, those that have bought World Rugby’s line about October storms being a freak occurrence. This isn’t true. There are 142 typhoons lively enough to have their own webpage; mostly recent, but a few of the larger historic ones, too. Either way, it’s a representative sample. And typhoons are weeks in the making, so some stretch across individual months. The relevant factor is when they hit Japan. So here’s the breakdown: April’s total: 1, May: 6, June: 6, July: 20, August: 39 — good luck at the Olympics everybody, by the way — September: 46, October: 21, November: 3. Meaning the Rugby World Cup began in Japan’s peak month for typhoon events and continued through the month in which roughly 15 per cent of its typhoons occur. October. Japan’s season runs later than much of Asia’s. While the strength of Typhoon Hagibis might have been exceptional, its timing was not. If World Rugby had held their tournament in March and April and suffered a repeat of Typhoon Kujira which, in 2003, became the earliest on record to make landfall in Japan, that would be an anomaly and the organisers might consider themselves highly unfortunate. This was poor planning and a reluctance to disturb rugby’s calendar for the greater good. At best unimaginative, at worst lazy and selfish. Anyway, it’s done now, the tournament otherwise is great. Let’s learn a lesson and get on with it.