Is there a link between the training regime of Gatland and Edwards and the Welsh injury crisis?

I realize this could be a bit divisive, but we've been hearing morning, day and night about the level of emphasis on fitness, conditioning and physicality in the Wales camp leading up to the tournament.

Is this a factor in the injury crisis or is it just simple bad luck for Wales?

You see in athletics that a genuinely finely honed athlete is always at risk of breaking down quite easily.

However in this case haven't the injuries come about from contact situations in games?

Yes but we don't know if some underlying micro trauma has contributed to the injuries.

I did wonder the same as Wales seem particularly unlucky this time.

That said, for all the media hype I'd be surprised if there would be much difference in intensity of how all the to sides prepared for this - maybe they've got something wrong or could be coincidence...

SA are another one - they look very lightweight and gaunt, Japan looked more physical and fitter than them which was a big surprise.

Yeah I commented on how trim De Villiers looked in the centre! Certainly not in the same shape as when he went toe-toe with Tuilagi in those epic collisions

I've said for some time that I think Gatland prepares his players to be in such a high state of tune that they are vulnerable to injury. I think he has a conditioning regime that emphasises power and pace so much that it sacrifices some resilience.

Wales seem to have a number of players who repeatedly pick up injuries and always seem to be trying to get fit for tournaments. That might reflect a more limited player base, but it contrasts with, say, England, who have had some bad injury crises in the backline but rarely the same players with repeated injury.

I think it is more down to the resources. England can have injuries in multiple positions, but they can cover those positions with players of the same ability, unlike Wales, we have a core of players and when they get injured we are fooked. It is more noticeable with Wales as we look really thread bare when we get injuries, England can afford to not pick players for bad behaviour, we could never do that.

Look at the Kiwis...they look like a bunch of boyscouts many of them. The fabled black jersey is even hanging off the shoulders of McCaw.

It's said that they've all lost quite a bit of weight on purpose because they intend to play it fast.

LordDowlais wrote:I think it is more down to the resources. England can have injuries in multiple positions, but they can cover those positions with players of the same ability, unlike Wales, we have a core of players and when they get injured we are fooked. It is more noticeable with Wales as we look really thread bare when we get injuries, England can afford to not pick players for bad behaviour, we could never do that.

That's because we have class LD, never going to be able to accuse Wales of that

It's funny because Wales have usually been lucky with injuries compared to most teams.

Didn't think lose their fitness man to American football earlier this year?

Tiger/Chief wrote:Yeah I commented on how trim De Villiers looked in the centre! Certainly not in the same shape as when he went toe-toe with Tuilagi in those epic collisions

In his case, though, it's probably more to do with that terrible knee injury than the general training regime.

It's difficult to know about Wales' training methods. Martin Johnson had a long spell of squad injuries, as did Lancaster. Australia have had a lot of players missing at times too. When you get a cluster close to a major tournament, it's always tempting to look for causes but it might just be bad luck.

Tiger/Chief wrote:Yeah I commented on how trim De Villiers looked in the centre! Certainly not in the same shape as when he went toe-toe with Tuilagi in those epic collisions

Isn't he coming back from having his jaw wired? He's probably only just back on solids!

Weren't Samson Lee and Liam Williams rushed back too quickly?