Eddie Jones says the Rugby World Cup could be blown off course by Japan’s extreme weather - but insists England are equipped to weather the storm.
The tournament’s second favourites fly to Tokyo today where the country is braced for Typhoon Faxai, with 125 mph winds and torrential rain forecast to greet England on arrival.
And Jones, the former Japan coach, admitted: “Typhoons WILL affect the World Cup, there is no doubt about it.
“You just have to be able to ride with it, be adaptable and work out how you can escape with the situations that avail.
“You can’t go outside in a typhoon. Once one comes it’s basically a lockdown. They can vary between very violent and quite mild.
“But we have done a fair bit of contingency planning. We have indoor venues booked with artificial turf if there was a typhoon that stopped us training outside.”
England are sweating on the fitness of a fistful of players, with Mako Vunipola and Jack Nowell ruled out of at least two of their four pool matches.
Joe Launchbury (back) and Luke Cowan-Dickie (knee) also picked up knocks in Friday night’s 37-0 win over Italy but, those apart, England believe they have all bases covered.
Jones has won 34 of his 44 games since taking charge following the nation’s flop at the 2015 World Cup.
And he has urged his players to emulate England’s cricketers by seizing the opportunity of a lifetime and bringing home the World Cup.
