Tokyo (AFP)

Japan rugby world director Alan Gilpin praised "meticulous" contingency plans for natural disasters after a typhoon hit Tokyo and delayed the arrival of several teams.

Typhoon Faxai, which hit Japan from September 8 to 9 with unusually heavy rain and winds, could have forced a match to be canceled if it had occurred during the competition, held in the heart of the typhoon season. generally lasts until the end of October, he admits in an interview with AFP.

The eventual cancellation of a match should be decided at 24 hours of kick-off and confirmed eight hours before, says Alan Gilpin in this interview realized a few days before the kickoff of the tournament (20 September-2 November) .

From the quarter-finals, the game would be postponed, but in the group stage, any game canceled would result in a draw of 0-0. What upset the ranking in some groups, for example if a candidate in the title loses on the green carpet points against a weaker team.

Knowing that only the first two of each pool are qualified for the quarterfinals, this will force all teams to fight in each match, says World Rugby leader Brett Gosper.

Especially since no clear favorite emerges for the competition: the All Blacks, double world champions in title, have even lost, for the benefit of the Wales and Ireland, their place of world No.1 at World Rugby ranking in recent weeks.

- New tropical depression -

"It's nice to have some uncertainty," said the boss of the international body. But "in a World Cup, from the kickoff of the first game, the rankings are no longer important," he assured, seeing Fiji or Japan as possible surprises of the tournament.

The typhoon Faxai allowed the organizers to "model the exact sequence of events on a weekend of matches and work on the scenarios," said Alan Gilpin. If a new extreme climate event threatens, they will be kept informed of the forecasts every three hours.

A tropical depression has formed in southern Japan, and according to the weather forecast, it is heading towards the main island of the archipelago.

"You can never know if an emergency device is working until it starts, but the organization is meticulous and we know there are risks that we will have to deal with. in place, "promised Mr. Gosper.

Faxai forced the England team to wait five hours when he arrived at the airport, while the Australian team had to delay his departure for Japan, but these are "minor jolts compared to the scale of the storm, "he said.

"One of the biggest typhoons in recent years has hit Tokyo and Yokohama, in the heart of the tournament infrastructure, and fortunately, no problem," said Alan Gilpin.

© 2019 AFP