The Welshmen Who Went Up A Mountain: Summer Test Training
The Welshmen Who Went Up A Mountain: Summer Test Training
Warren Gatland has taken his Wales world cup training group to the Swiss Alps to train in the altitude.
The Welsh rugby team took to the mountain tops to gear up for the 2019 Summer Test Series and the road ahead to World Cup 2019 in Japan.
The boys are finishing up a two-week training regimen in the Swiss Alps, as Warren Gatland and his coaching staff hope to put the boys through hell to have them prepared for the physical and psychological rigors of a world cup run.
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Wales embarked on this same venture before their 2015 World Cup campaign, and the payoff saw them eliminate host England before losing a quarterfinal heartbreaker to South Africa. This time the players hope they can push even harder and go one or two steps further in Japan.
"We know the graft that needs to go in and how difficult it's going to be, but you have to put the hard work in to get the rewards." - @George_North. #HWFN pic.twitter.com/jzrW0W7kfZ
— Welsh Rugby Union ? (@WelshRugbyUnion) July 19, 2019
Eighteen players are still around from the 2015 camp in the Alps, and make no bones about it they know how tough it can be. Veteran prop Tomas Francis conceded that, "A few of the bigger blokes could lose a bit of fat up here. With the altitude, you burn more calories so it's a bonus,"
When asked if the camp has been as hellish as his experienced teammates said it would be, center Hadleigh Parkes replied, "It certainly has."
However, he added that, "There have been a fair few very tough sessions but there's a pretty big carrot at the end of it, so you just put your head down and get stuck into it."
The altitude and heat, reaching upwards of 90 degrees, have made the training grueling but the coaches are there to ensure the players maintain their focus and their intensity throughout. The ability to execute under trying circumstances is what separates the world cup contenders from the World Cup pretenders.
It's not all work though. The boys are given ample time to rest and recover between sessions, something that helps them continue to gell as a group. When training is finished each day, the squad travels even higher up the mountains to their small village to unwind and spend time together. The team lives at an altitude of 7,500 feet above sea level, and trains at 4,200 feet above sea level. The motto in the group is "Live high, train low."
Player Hallam Amos missed out on his graduation from Cardiff University—he got a First (like graduating Summa Cum laude) in Neuroscience—but his teammates held a little ceremony for him on the mountaintop.
If there's anything to be said about this grand slam-winning Wales team, it's that they're a tight-knit group who will make any sacrifice necessary for their teammates. Despite the pain of the grind, the Welsh players will find motivation in doing it for each other and for their country.
Some players still look to return from injury in time for the world cup in Japan, but for now here are the 42 men representing the Wales world cup training squad:
Current Wales World Cup Training Squad
Prop: Leon Brown, Rhys Carre, Rob Evans, Tomas Francis, Wyn Jones, Samson Lee, Dillon Lewis, Nicky Smith
Hooker: Elliot Dee, Ryan Elias, Ken Owens
Second Row: Jake Ball, Adam Beard, Bradley Davies, Cory Hill, Alun Wyn Jones
Back Row: James Davies, Taulupe Faletau, Ross Moriarty, Josh Navidi, Aaron Shingler, Justin Tipuric, Aaron Wainwright
Scrumhalf: Aled Davies, Gareth Davies, Tomos Williams
Flyhalf: Gareth Anscombe, Dan Biggar, Jarrod Evans, Rhys Patchell
Center: Jonathan Davies, Hadleigh Parkes, Owen Watkin, Scott Williams
Back Three: Josh Adams, Hallam Amos, Steff Evans, Leigh Halfpenny, Jonah Holmes, Owen Lane, George North, Liam Williams
