Joe Schmidt claims that some of the World Cup's top guns have been handed a knock-out advantage due to Typhoon Hagibis.
Predicted to be the strongest typhoon of the year in Japan, the storm that was originally on course to hit Fukuoka tomorrow - when Ireland play Samoa there - will now hit Tokyo and the city of Toyota instead.
World Cup organisers yesterday cancelled the final pool games between England and France - both had already qualified for the last eight - plus New Zealand and Italy, although the Azzurri still had a mathematical, though practically impossible, chance of progressing.
Meanwhile Ireland must beat Samoa with a bonus point as it won't be decided if the final game in their pool between Japan v Scotland, scheduled for Yokohama, until the morning of the game on Sunday.
There are several outcomes that can still occur - including the Scots being knocked out if the game doesn't go ahead. But Ireland know for certain they will qualify for the quarter-finals by claiming five points tomorrow.
What displeases Schmidt is that probable last eight opponents New Zealand, along with England and France, have been delivered an unhindered preparation period of almost two weeks to get ready for the knock-out stages.
"When you’ve had a long lead-in like we’ve had, and we’ve had some games concertinaed together quite closely, I think it’s always an advantage to get a longer lead-in," said Schmidt.
"That would be my personal opinion. I think it would be the opinion of any coach that you ask."
Smiling England boss Eddie Jones had earlier said "the typhoon gods are smiling on us".
And Schmidt commented: "I did read a little bit on Eddie Jones.
"He looked fairly disappointed that he was going to head off on a mini-camp and do some really good training on the Saturday and have a few beers!
“So while they’re doing that we'll be rolling our sleeves up trying to combat a Samoa side that has heaps of talent and will be inevitably physical because that’s how they play the game and that’s how the game tends to be played at the top level.
"For us, hopefully - primarily - we can get the result and the secondary factor is if we come through unschooled, that would be a really successful Saturday for us".
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