The state of play in NH training camps

The Welsh have been frozen, the Scots have been golfing, the French have been camping, so what else is going on in the national squad training camps prior to the start of the RWC: Training camps - not all happiness and light then!

Some interesting things there. I'm glad the way Ireland have decided to do our preparation. It seems like Kidney has got it right. Plenty of rugby but what is important is he hasn't taken them away from their homes too much it seems as if they do go, they may be away from home over a month.

That's what struck me too, Musnty, the breadth of different approaches taken to training camp - Ireland seem to be at one end of the spectrum, with maybe France and Wales at the other. Have no doubt they'll have been put thru the grinder regardless of the approach!

French training camp has been a bit odd by the looks of things, what would you expect with lievremont though

I very much doubt that even the rock hard welsh could manage -140c. Might he perhaps mean -14ºC?

Carpe Diem wrote:I very much doubt that even the rock hard welsh could manage -140c. Might he perhaps mean -14ºC?

No, he means what he wrote. It is -140c.

.Cryotherapy

Yep doesn't that sound like fun!

I would have liked to see Scotland play an Extra match, but I'm sure Robbo knows what he is doing since he was part of the 2003 England world cup winning set up

Lievremont really does seem determined to ruin France - camping!?

The Poland freezer thing is odd, but then Gatland has always said he needed to toughen up the Welsh players, and at least you can see what he's trying to do.

The others all sound sensible.

funnyExiledScot wrote:Lievremont really does seem determined to ruin France - camping!?

The Poland freezer thing is odd, but then Gatland has always said he needed to toughen up the Welsh players, and at least you can see what he's trying to do.

The others all sound sensible.

Whats the Poland freezer thing? Is that the deep freeze chambers that you go into after a session to repair muscles/ligaments? That is meant to allow teams run 2 sessions a day and build up match fitness quicker, isn't it. Doesn't sound like too bad an idea.

For the Irish squad, I reckon Carton House is giving the IRFU a good price and golf round there is meant to be fairly good.

I stand corrected! Blimey! That's mental.

I understand the ice bath/freezer concept - but Poland?

The cryotherapy thing is all fine, but I don't see it making a big difference to Wales. One way to skin a cat I suppose.

Apparently they've been able to do 3 times as much training over there as they would back in Wales...

Draigoch wrote:Apparently they've been able to do 3 times as much training over there as they would back in Wales...

Why? That doesn't make any sense.

funnyExiledScot wrote:

Draigoch wrote:Apparently they've been able to do 3 times as much training over there as they would back in Wales...

Why? That doesn't make any sense.

Why doesn't it make sense?

Why would you be able to do 3 times more training in Poland than in Wales? Are the days longer?

FES - apparantly they can do a training session, go into the cryo chambers, their muscles are repaired incredibly quickly because of the temperature and then they can go out and train again immediately.

Ireland did it a couple of seasons ago leading upto the 6N.

Can Wales not host cryo chambers as well, or is Poland that much more advanced?

Poland is away from the media and also a chance to team bonding.

Artful_Dodger wrote:FES - apparantly they can do a training session, go into the cryo chambers, their muscles are repaired incredibly quickly because of the temperature and then they can go out and train again immediately.

Ireland did it a couple of seasons ago leading upto the 6N.

Thought that Ireland did it just prior to the last RWC?

The facilities are already there in Poland. I doubt they are in Wales. I think our training camp has been a good move. People have gone on about them being in their comfort zones, and now they now can't throw that at them anymore. Plus the Auschwitz trip was a humbling experience for a lot of them.

I don't give Cement Head compliments too easily, but I'm happy with what he's done here. Staying in luxury accommodation like the Vale of Glamorgan all the time hasn't really done us much good.

MBTGOG wrote:Poland is away from the media and also a chance to team bonding.

They're also very very good points