All Blacks coach Steve Hansen held his hands up after the cancellation of his side's final Rugby World Cup pool match, with Saturday's scheduled encounter with Italy abandoned due to the impending Typhoon Hagibis.
After Hagibis wiped out both the All Blacks' clash with Italy in Toyota and England's encounter with France in Yokohama, Hansen fronted media, accepting that supporter safety must come first.
"Everyone knew that this was a possibility," he said.
"We all knew what the process would be if this did occur. When you get a typhoon - or a hurricane as it's called in North America - to the level that we're getting, then safety is the paramount thing.
"It's a no brainer."
Two matches have so far been called off, with the possibility of more to come.
Hansen continued to add that the cancellation wasn't a major issue for his side, now looking forward to their quarter-final against either Japan or Ireland.
"Apart from Brodie [Retallick] and Jack Goodhue, who probably need a bit of footy, it's not a disruptive thing at all.
"You could look at it as a negative or a positive. We're choosing to look at it as a positive. It now gives us more time to play against whomever it is we get in the quarter-final, and we just have to modify our training, which we'll do."
Hansen concluded in his trademark, philosophical approach to coaching, accepting that the decision was out of his hands.
"Was it frustrating? Of course it is, but the reality is that we can't control the weather. We haven't been able to do that for a long time, and I don't think we'll ever be able to do it.
"It's out of everyone's control."
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