Super typhoon Hagibis threatening England and Scotland Rugby World Cup matches

Fans take cover under ponchos during the Rugby World Cup
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Will Macpherson8 October 2019

Yokohama could now bear the brunt of Super Typhoon Hagibis after the weather system was forced onto a different course.

England face France at the International Stadium Yokohama on Saturday, while Scotland’s crunch game with Japan is scheduled for the same arena a day later.

The super typhoon was due to strike further south, but a change in wind direction means areas further north could be badly affected.

Hagibis strengthened from a tropical storm to a Category 5 super typhoon in just one day – one of the most explosive intensifications of any tropical cyclone on record.

World Rugby say they have provisions to move games with more than 48 hours notice if necessary. In the unlikely event that the game cannot be played, the teams would share the points.

“Regarding the typhoon we have no control over the weather and we have to prepare for the game and see how it goes,” said England attack coach Scott Wisemantel. “Regarding the permutation around the game and shared points we are just concentrating on playing to win.

“I live in a bubble and I don’t know where the game would be played. One thing I have learnt in Japan is that they prepare for the worst and then usually it doesn’t eventuate.”

Ben Youngs, the England scrum-half, said England are anticipating “rain and horrible weather” for the match and are preparing accordingly.

“When you wake up in the morning it could be different, so we'll just have to wait and see,” said Youngs. “One thing Eddie [Jones] has always said from the moment we turned up for pre-season, we have to be adaptable and make sure we're able to change things.”

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