England head coach Eddie Jones has said only Scotland will be to blame if they fail to progress out of their pool at the Rugby World Cup.
Scotland face a must-win match against Japan on Sunday to go through to the quarter finals, but the chances of the fixture taking place are in major doubt as Super Typhoon Hagibis nears the south coast of the host nation.
World Rugby have already cancelled England’s match against France and Italy‘s clash versus New Zealand – ruling both games as a 0-0 draw – due to fears for public and player safety.
And while England are guaranteed a place in the knockout stages, Jones took aim at the Scots who are reportedly seeking legal advice against World Rugby should they cancel their match in Yokohama.
“We’ve been talking about it all the time, about the possibility that this was going to happen,” said former Japan coach Jones.
“It’s typhoon season, so you go somewhere else and it’s terrorists season. You know what’s going to happen. It’s typhoon season here and you’ve got to be prepared for it.
“We had an idea it could happen and therefore you have to accumulate points in your games to put yourself in the right position in case that happened.
“We just knew that there was the possibility of a game like this during the tournament so we just wanted to put ourselves in the best position we could.
“This is supposed to be a big typhoon, so I don’t see any other option that the organisers had.
“That’s why we’re not concerned at all about the comings and goings of it, we think it’s the right decision.”
Gregor Townsend and his team will be on their way home if the match is cancelled, a cruel end to their World Cup hopes after rebounding strongly from their opening Pool A defeat to Ireland.
New Zealand coach Steve Hansen was also unapologetic in his lack of sympathy for the Scots, given the severity of Hagibis.
The storm is more than three times the size of a typhoon which claimed 11 lives in Japan in 2018, and is forecast to bring winds exceeding 160mph.
“We have to back World Rugby’s decision and if other teams miss out, it’s unfortunate, it’ll be disappointing,’ Hansen said.
“If you want to be really ruthless, then it’s all about making sure you win the games on the way through because everyone knew this could be a possibility.”
Meanwhile, Townsend has named his team to play Japan and has dropped captain Stuart McInally.
