ENGLAND BACKS COACH Andy Farrell says it is ‘awe-inspiring’ how his squad have taken on their pre-Rugby World Cup training camp in the United States.
The tournament hosts head home this weekend after two arduous weeks in the heat and altitude of Denver, Colorado.
“The desire of the squad to get through one gruelling session together was absolutely awe-inspiring from a coach’s point of view,” the former rugby league star told ESPN.
“They have been digging in together and suffering together and will come out a better team because of that.
“You get to know the players better because they’ve had to dig deep. We’re not flogging them, but asking them questions about their ability to execute skills wise while under pressure and in extreme conditions. We’ve seen who can cope with that and who can’t.”
The defensive specialist has also signalled that the squad will face an early cull next week in an effort to reinforce the unity of the core group by whittling it down to “36 to 38″ before the opening World Cup warm-up against France on 15 August. That means up to nine of the group that has so impressed Farrell over the past fortnight will be cut.
For now though, the camp appears to be remaining happy after their ‘brutal’ training regime.
“We had to hold [them] back on Friday because this week has been pretty brutal. Everyone says they’ve had the best pre-season of all time, but we’re unbelievably happy with the plan and how it’s going.
“The boys are 100% committed to the cause. The pain and excitement they have been going through together has been plain to see.”
