England coach Eddie Jones has warned the typhoon sweeping across Asia could have a major disruption on the World Cup in Japan but says he has contingency plans in place to deal with it.
Typhoon Faxai moved northwest over the Pacific towards eastern Japan on Saturday, threatening to make landfall near Tokyo as early as Sunday night, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
England are due to leave for Japan on Sunday and the season's 15th typhoon – packing winds of up to 180 kilometers per hour – is expected to reach coastal areas of the Kanto region between late Sunday and early Monday.
"He's as important as the other two loose heads," Jones said. "We want him back in the mix but we're prepared to wait and be patient with him.
"He's obviously a senior guy, who's good on the field but also great off the field, that's why he's so important for us."
Joe Launchbury (back) and Luke Cowan-Dickie (knee) also sustained knocks during the game at St James' Park but Jones is confident they will be fit for the start of the tournament.
"We purposely took them off early and were not going to take any risks," he said. "We don't feel at this stage they're serious injuries."
