Donal looks at how the cancellation of games, and the uncertainty surrounding the match between Japan and Scotland on Sunday, will affect both individual teams and the wider tournament.
With two headline games on Saturday cancelled - New Zealand's clash with Italy and the eagerly anticipated contest of England and France - Donal says that "from an organisational point of view it's a disaster" and the World Cup's "worst nightmare coming to pass".
Donal also talks about how difficult the prospect of cancellation will be for Scotland, who will face elimination from the tournament if Sunday's match does not go ahead - with a decision to be made on the morning of the game.
Having spent time with the Scottish camp in Kobe, Donal reports that the Scots "were very confident of their chances" against Japan.
Donal goes on to note that for those teams whose matches have been cancelled and will still progress to the quarter-finals, they have a clear advantage in not playing this weekend and having an extra weekend of rest and training ahead of the quarter-finals.