Tokyo (AFP)
The organizers of the Rugby World Cup have issued a weather alert on Saturday, as a large and powerful typhoon approaches Japan, but a priori does not affect the holding of matches.
Typhoon Tapah formed off the southwestern coast of Japan and is expected to reach the western part of the country before heading north to Hokkaido Island.
The typhoon is expected to reach Hokkaido Island after the two scheduled matches in the city of Sapporo: Australia-Fiji Saturday and England-Tonga Sunday.
The Sapporo Stadium (Dome) is equipped with a roof.
"The typhoon is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rains to the southern island of Kyushu on September 22 (Sunday) in the evening and on September 23," the organizers said.
"Although this should have no effect on the matches, we warned the teams that this could affect team training and movement," they added.
As a precaution, the fan zones of Kumamoto and Fukuoka (south) were closed, said the organizing committee, noting that typhoons are common in Japan but that "the vast majority of them affect very little daily life".
Typhoon Faxai struck Tokyo and the nearby city of Chiba less than two weeks before the start of the World Cup, killing two people and causing major air disturbances in Narita, one of Tokyo's two major airports.
ric-pga / kal
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