WALES HAVE BEEN taking pre-season very, very seriously ahead of the Rugby World Cup.
Warren Gatland has taken his troops to Poland, altitude training in the Swiss Alps, followed by a camp in the brtual heat of Qatar, which they’re just finishing up.
Along the way, the WRU’s YouTube channel have been providing lots of video content about their preparations, but this latest interview with George North is particularly frightening.
Describing the “savage” training that’s been going on, North sounded more like a man returning from a conflict zone, rather than a training camp.
“It’s the hardest thing I’ve had to do pre-season-wise.
“I think I’ve been to places that no man should be on his own.
“I’ve seen Gremlins, I’ve seen different things when I’ve been running,” he says.
As well as the various foreign camps, the players have been sleeping in special altitude chambers, which can replicate conditions as high as 4,500m above sea level.
Whether or not that will help them perform in the fairly placid conditions of a British September and October remains to be seen.
Wales meet Ireland in their first World Cup warm-up game on Saturday August 8, before a second meeting at the Avivia Stadium three weeks later, with a final game against Italy in early September.
They kick off their Pool A campaign against Uruguay on Sunday September 20 in Cardiff.
