Coaches in the firing line as Wales squad get in perfect shape for Japan
OVER the weekend, members of the media were invited out to Wales’ altitude training camp in Switzerland to observe Warren Gatland’s players.
Wales are coming to the end of a gruelling fortnight in the Swiss Alps, where they have been continuing preparations for the Rugby World Cup.
They have been living at over 2,000 metres above sea level, travelling down the mountain in gondola’s to around 1000 metres to train before going straight back up.
Players have been spending around 20 hours of their day at the higher altitude, but have been coming down for three sessions a day that involve weights, conditioning, power endurance and rugby blocks.
Here are a few things we jotted down in our notepad during our time in the Wales camp...
FRIENDLY FIRE...
YOU’D be forgiven for assuming that coaches would plan the sessions out and then take more of an overseeing role when they begin.
Head coach Gatland tended to take more of a step back than others and was far quieter than his lieutenants. It seemed a little bit ominous as he prowled around the pitch, observing everything that was going on for the most part.
However, they all took active parts in the training sessions at some point, with Gatland himself even getting on a tackle pad to give players something to run at when practicing moves. Attack coach Rob Howley was far more vocal, barking orders while also providing opposition for players to run at.
Sometimes the coaches get too close to the action. Forwards coach Robin McBryde was on the receiving end of Hadleigh Parkes motoring at full speed and took a tumble.
Howley also got tangled up with Parkes at one point.
Huw Bennett, the former Wales hooker who is now a strength and conditioning coach, probably racks up as many miles as the players during the conditioning games as he runs around and barks orders.
Coaches very much throw themselves into the thick of the action behind closed doors.
PLAYERS IN INCREDIBLE SHAPE...
IN this day and age, it’s a given that professional rugby players are in peak physical condition – the backs, in particular.
But some members of the Wales squad appeared to be in incredibly good shape, with Jonathan Davies and Gareth Davies showing up well in the fitness games and looking very powerful.
It’s difficult to pinpoint which players are among the fittest because, to be frank, there’s not a lot between most of the players in the same position.
Newcomer Owen Lane looked to be handling the hardest fortnight of his professional career well, George North looked lean and powerful while James Davies and Justin Tipuric both looked to be among the fittest.
When you get the chance to see these players train up close, you get a greater appreciation for the kind of machines that they’ve been moulded into.
SHORT AND SHARP SESSIONS...
SESSIONS are not particularly long and that was noticeable. A 57-minute session on Saturday was described as a pretty lengthy one by one of the analysts.
But they are incredibly well structured, players move from one drill to the next seamlessly. The next drill is already set up and ready to go by a coach when the last drill finishes.
So Howley may set up a passing drill on the far side of the pitch while the players are getting a blast from head of physical performance Paul Stridgeon.
It’s a well-oiled machine that runs like clockwork.