For me, Warren Gatland has gone soft by not taking them to Spala, in Poland. Now that was real torture... but it worked.
The Welsh players are off to train at altitude in Switzerland for the next two weeks and I’m sure they will be pushed to their limits. These are the days when you work harder than ever before to build up your physical and mental toughness. I don’t think I was ever fitter in my life than I was going into the 2011 World Cup. We all felt indestructible!
I don’t think anyone preparing for a World Cup is going to shy away from hard work. You are ready to push your body beyond normal limits because the prize is so great. But what Gats exposed us to in Poland took us to places we had never ever imagined we could go to. For those who don’t recall what it was all about, it involved twice daily sessions in a cryotherapy chamber that took you into a small room in which the temperature plunged to minus 184F (-120C).
The army instructors who put the ‘Class of 23’ through their paces recently had nothing on the professor who closed the door on us as we stepped into the icy chamber at the Olympic Sports Centre in central Poland. For the record, the temperatures were around minus 30C lower than the coldest ever recorded on Earth. Freezing!
Denne historien er fra July 02, 2023-utgaven av The Rugby Paper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra July 02, 2023-utgaven av The Rugby Paper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
England show who's No.1
ENGLAND women’s head coach John Mitchell says his side will take valuable lessons from the 24-12 win over world champions New Zealand as they build towards their WXV1 title defence.
Skivington: We're going to roll dice and go for it
THE Cherry and Whites are the enigmas of the Premiership.
Looking to go one step beyond this time around
NE small step is what it will take for Bath to go one better than last season and secure the Premiership for the first time, but it would be one of the biggest taken by the club in the professional era.
Four-try England make it 17 wins on the spin
ENGLAND women opened the Allianz Stadium era at HQ with a victory over New Zealand to make it 17 wins on the bounce before their WXV title defence.
Time for Borthwick to prove his worth
HONEYMOON periods are not set in stone and in my estimation Steve Borthwick’s ends this summer. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still in good shape.
Barrington ready to power up the Mob
RICHARD Barrington has signed up to the Ampthill “Mob” reassured that he’ll still have a target on his back most weeks.
Skivington keen to build identity
GLOUCESTER won their first trophy for nine years last season and reached the Challenge Cup final, but when George Skivington went on holiday the day after the campaign ended the words in his head were never again.
Roebuck targets England success
WINNING a maiden England Test cap to top the best season of his career will not be enough for Sale winger Tom Roebuck.
Booth: Tough telling players I was leaving
TOBY Booth admits telling his Ospreys players that he would be leaving at the end of the season was one of the hardest things he has had to do in his career.
Stephens' debut try sees off old rivals
DORKING had to dig deep in another tight game between two old rivals, with the lead changing hands twice and result in doubt right up to the final whistle.
