ENGLAND'S players have been told to expect another "crash course" in order for them to be at their physical peak for the knockout stage of the World Cup.
Fitness guru Aled Walters (right) has explained how he drove England into dark places during the four World Cup warm-up matches in August.
The head of strength and conditioning put England in a hole last month, so that by the time the tournament started they could be sharp as a tack.
England trained so hard five days before facing Ireland in Dublin on August 19 that the GPS monitors showed they had effectively played a full Test match.
The result was a leggy performance in a 29-10 defeat but with the clear plan to see England fizzing for last Saturday's World Cup opener against Argentina.
That is exactly what happened, as Steve Borthwick's men produced an all-action display to defeat the Pumas 27-10, almost thriving with 14 men for all but three minutes of the match.
This story is from the September 13, 2023 edition of Evening Standard.
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This story is from the September 13, 2023 edition of Evening Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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