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Typhoon delays Wallabies departure for World Cup
The Wallabies’ departure to Japan for this month’s World Cup has been delayed by the typhoon set to lash the country.
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The squad and support staff were scheduled to leave Australia just before`10pm Sunday (AEST).
However, winds of up to 216 kilometres per hour and heavy rain are forecast to hit Japan, as part of Typhoon Faxai, with trains and flights in Tokyo cancelled.
The Wallabies will now head to Japan around midday Monday (AEST).
A number of teams have prepared for the impact that the typhoon could potentially have on the World Cup, with England head coach Eddie Jones ready for indoor training sessions if need be.
“Once the typhoon comes, you just can’t go outside,” he said.
“It’s basically a lock-down and it can vary between being very violent to quite mild.
“We’ve got ideas of what we do if a typhoon stopped us training outdoors.
“We’ll train on artificial turf indoors.”
The All Blacks are also departing for Japan on Monday, but prop Angus Ta’avao told TVNZ that he and the side expect a soft landing upon arrival.
“We’ve loosely been following it,” Ta’avao said.
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“But I’ve got full trust in Air New Zealand – they know what they’re doing and by the time we get there it’ll have blown over and we’ll be pretty safe.”
The All Blacks are scheduled to land in Tokyo at 4pm local time following an 11-hour flight before making their ay to their team base camp in Kashiwa.
Wallabies team officials,meanwhile, reported no injury issues in the aftermath of Saturday’s 34-15 win over Samoa.
The game in Sydney was Australia’s last before their World Cup opener against Fiji in Sapporo on September 21.
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– With AAP
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