NIK SIMON AT TWICKENHAM: It was supposed to be an English procession, but Scotland’s threadbare squad came within seconds of pulling off the biggest comeback in the history of Test rugby.

EXCLUSIVE BY WILL KELLEHER: Gary Graham might have trained with Eddie Jones’s England but now feels liberated as a fully-fledged Scot. he made his debut against Italy in the Six Nations.

Scotland's most capped player and former British and Irish Lions hooker Ross Ford said he was lucky to have played the game he loves for so long as he announced his retirement from rugby.

Flanker John Barclay will also win his first cap since March last year. The Edinburgh forward has not played for his country since rupturing his Achilles on his final outing for former employers Scarlets.

The 53-year-old had been working with the Rugby Football Union on youth development, but has now accepted a role north of the border. He had been considered to replace Eddie Jones as coach.

Finn Russell stole the limelight as Scotland put on a show in their final World Cup audition with a 44-10 thrashing of Georgia in Tbilisi.

Gregor Townsend has wrapped a number of his key men up in cotton wool after leaving them out of Scotland's World Cup send-off with Georgia at Murrayfield on Friday night.

Scotland did what they do best at Murrayfield on Friday night - score tries. There were six in total for the home fans to enjoy as a spirited, if error-prone, Georgian side were despatched.

Safe passage through a group that contains the No 2 ranked side in the world in Ireland and hosts Japan is the minimum expected of Gregor Townsend's men. Anything less would be an abject failure.

ROB ROBERTSON IN KOBE: Graham has been brought in to inject some pace out wide as Gregor Townsend's side chase a bonus-point victory to keep alive their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages of the tournament.

Scotland face a do-or-die scenario in just their second Pool A match of the Rugby World Cup. You can follow all the action from the Kobe Misaki Stadium as it happens HERE. Kick-off 11.15am.

ROB ROBERTSON AT THE KOBE MISAKI STADIUM: Needing a bonus point win to keep their World Cup campaign alive, it took them until five minutes from time before they got that vital fourth try.

ROB ROBERTSON IN KOBE: Sean Maitland feared he had blown his big chance to grab Scotland the bonus point win needed to keep their World Cup dream alive.

With 20 pool games played and 20 more to go, the 2019 Rugby World Cup has already delivered its fair share of shocks, upsets, brilliance and farce. Sportsmail answers 10 key questions.

Scotland play Russia in their penultimate Pool A match requiring a bonus-point victory to keep their hopes of making the quarter-finals alive.

ROB ROBERTSON IN SHIZUOKA STADIUM ECOPA:Scotland scrum-half George Horne scored a hat-trick as his side easily secured the bonus point win they needed against Russia.

SRU chiefs would be 'furious' if Scotland's crucial World Cup clash with Japan falls foul of Typhoon Hagibis and remain confident the game will be played even if it is delayed by 24 hours.

With the news that two World Cup pool matches have been called off, and another under review, there is some confusion over who will finish where. Sportsmail takes a look at the pool permutations...

COMMENT BY JOHN GREECHAN: This utter farce accurately reflects not merely a shambolic lack of leadership in World Rugby, but Scotland's continued status as an international irrelevance.

The Scots will miss out on the quarter-finals if their match against hosts Japan in Yokohama on Sunday suffers the same fate as England's clash with France and is cancelled.

Sunday's clash, which is effectively a play-off match for a quarter-final place, may still be called off by World Rugby in the aftermath of Super-Typhoon Hagibis, which is set to hit on Saturday.

NIK SIMON IN TOYOTA: The Rugby World Cup's credibility was called into question as feelings grew that rich nations have received favourable treatment as Scotland vent their frustrations.

EXCLUSIVE BY MATT HUGHES AND NIK SIMON: World Rugby are facing possible legal action whatever decision they make regarding Scotland's scheduled Pool A clash with Japan on Sunday.

World Rugby says it aims to make a decision on whether Scotland's storm-threatened clash with Japan on Sunday can go ahead as early as possible.

The captain's run for Japan had an altogether more aquatic feel on Saturday morning as the players waded through a flooded tunnel out onto the pitch. 

NIK SIMON IN YOKOHAMA: World Rugby have given the green light for Japan's game with Scotland to go ahead - with supporters also being allowed to attend the crunch clash.

Scotland suffered a devastating Rugby World Cup elimination at the hands of Japan, who made history by reaching the quarter-finals for the first time.  

Gregor Townsend insists Scotland can recover from their World Cup heartache - but knows they must learn from the mistakes that cost them in Japan.

Japan captain Michael Leitch dedicated the team's 28-21 victory over Scotland at the Rugby World Cup on Sunday to those affected by the typhoon which nearly cancelled the match.

ROB ROBERTSON IN YOKOHAMA: Japan took a stunning 28-21 victory in Yokahama. The result means that the host nation will now face South Africa in the quarter finals.

CHRIS FOY IN JAPAN: The World Cup quarter-final line-up has now been finalised after hosts Japan booked their place in the knockout stages with a barnstorming victory over Scotland on Sunday.

Greig Laidlaw has admitted he has a decision to make over whether to prolong his Scotland career. The scrum-half's last World Cup ended in agonising defeat to Japan on Sunday.

The governing body has confirmed it will convene a hearing of its independent disputes committee, in light of comments made by SRU chief executive Mark Dodson's last week.

CHRIS FOY IN TOKYO: England's match against France is in danger of being cancelled, as Typhoon Hagibis has changed course and is now due to tear through Tokyo and Yokohama.

The SRU was reprimanded following comments made by chief executive Mark Dodson during the World Cup in reference to a match against Japan potentially being cancelled.

Saracens' case for their defence fell at La Defense as the besieged Barnet bashers were battered by Racing 92. The reigning Champions Cup holders took their biggest continental loss in two years.

Hogg said he would be 'very annoyed' if one of his Scotland team-mates was so quick to move on from their own exit at this year's showpiece in Japan.

Exeter Chiefs are desperate for their 'normal' squad to solve the European puzzle this year, having added Border piece Stuart Hogg. The 27-year-old Hawick-born full-back faces his old club.

CHRIS FOY AT THE AJ BELL STADIUM: Exeter extended their lead at the top of Pool Two of the Heineken Champions Cup with a close-fought 22-20 victory over Sale courtesy of Stuart Hogg (middle).

Tommy Seymour is the second player to retire from international rugby in the past seven days. Seymour has announced his decision on the heels of former Scotland captain John Barclay quitting. 

The 34-year-old Clermont scrum-half skippered the side in 39 out of his 76 international appearances, more times than any other player, and is Scotland's second-highest point scorer with 714.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY NIK SIMON: Finn Russell is loving the different life in France, and he has emerged as Europe's in-form No 10 this season.

Finn Russell was dropped from Scotland's Six Nations opener after refusing to stop drinking at the team's hotel bar and then skipping training the following morning.

New Scotland captain Stuart Hogg is to seek out national icon Gavin Hastings for last-minute advice on how to lead the team from full-back in the Six Nations opener against Ireland.

GRAEME CROSER AT CELTIC PARK: The past seven days have seen Leigh Griffiths locked in a personal battle with Finn Russell for custody of the back pages.

The headlines will have made painful reading for Stuart Hogg yesterday after his costly howler in Dublin, but I thought he fronted up well afterwards and stayed focused during the game.

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has backed captain Stuart Hogg to bounce back from his horror miss against Ireland and lead the team with confidence against England next week.

Finn Russell will be absent again when Scotland play England in the 2020 Guinness Six Nations Championship at Murrayfield.

Every morning at Pennyhill Park, Eddie Jones walks past a table in the hotel lobby offering free fruit and a collection of daily newspapers. On Tuesday they did not make for pleasant reading.

EXCLUSIVE BY CHRIS FOY: England are talking about Scottish dirty tricks again, ahead of their trip to Murrayfield, but John Barclay has dismissed what he considers to be familiar 'whinging'.