Wales start the running in their bid to be fittest team at RWC in Japan

Wales’ training camp ahead of the World Cup this year is underway and they shared photos of their work on Instagram.

The Grand Slam winners posted these latest images, showing the players being put through their paces with what looks like a lot of running. 

Warren Gatland is a notorious taskmaster and always strives to have the fittest team on the field. Wales’ Six Nations success this year was built upon a restless defence, which depends on all players to be in peak physical condition and able to outlast the opposition. 

Wales’ training camp on the fallow week before the England Test this year was famed for being brutal for the players, as Gatland put his players through “hell”, according to Shaun Edwards. That paid dividends, as the Welsh blitzed England in the final 20 minutes of their February encounter. 

The New Zealander is unlikely to break a habit of a lifetime, and it looks as though the work for the World Cup in September is starting now. This is what was shared: 

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Loose forward Ross Moriarty was one to also share images of the camp, giving an indication of how tough it is so far for the players. 

With no Welsh regions making the final stages of the European competitions or the PRO14, the players have benefited from a long break already. This differs from the French team, for instance, where some of the players’ seasons would have only ended with the Top 14 final last week.

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Likewise, England’s initial training camp starts next week, although they will be without Saracens, Exeter Chiefs, Gloucester or Northampton Saints players. Eddie Jones named his initial training squad last Thursday, which is significantly later that Gatland who named his 42-man squad in April.  

Therefore, the three-time Grand Slam winning coach has the benefit of extra time with his players, which he will no doubt put to good use as they ramp up their preparations for the trip to Japan in September. 

WATCH: Part one of the two-part RugbyPass documentary on what fans can expect in Japan at this year’s World Cup