spala poland, take a look.

the welsh boys are working hard,i also notice the weather is like home from home,bet their wedding tackle was hard to locate after coming out of the fridge.
http://www.wru.co.uk/matchdaytv/Index/index/id/8791

It was quite funny watching them going into the chamber with them all looking in good shape, then seeing the fat bloke against the wall. I thought he was one of ours.

Not a bad video.

risca rev
yep a good video, assuming spala has the desired effect fitness wise,the next step will hopefully be to get the team lifting their heads and using those scanners on the front of their heads called eye's and playing what;s in front of them! then we may put in a decent showing at the world cup.

I don't mean to alarm you guys but I'm pretty sure that Ireland used Spala as preparation for the last world cup.

asoreleftshoulder wrote:I don't mean to alarm you guys but I'm pretty sure that Ireland used Spala as preparation for the last world cup.

shoite! and i thought samoa beating australia was as bad as it gets.

asoreleftshoulder wrote:I don't mean to alarm you guys but I'm pretty sure that Ireland used Spala as preparation for the last world cup.

Not only that they directly attributed the preperation they did there as the main reason they underperformed so badly....

roddersm wrote:

asoreleftshoulder wrote:I don't mean to alarm you guys but I'm pretty sure that Ireland used Spala as preparation for the last world cup.

Not only that they directly attributed the preperation they did there as the main reason they underperformed so badly....

i thought that was blamed on O'Gara's extra curricula activities.

maestegmafia wrote:

roddersm wrote:

asoreleftshoulder wrote:I don't mean to alarm you guys but I'm pretty sure that Ireland used Spala as preparation for the last world cup.

Not only that they directly attributed the preperation they did there as the main reason they underperformed so badly....

i thought that was blamed on O'Gara's extra curricula activities.

Yes but O'Garas extracurricular activities were blamed on the spala preperation... ....

Seriously though it was a pretty poor showing so we had more than one excuse....

We didnt even have those excuses

It seem to be hell of a way to go to sit in a freezer for 5 mins at the time as the other facilities are not as good as UWIC's (Cardiff Uni) facilities. If these freezers are that effective why don't the WRU invest in such a facility and share it with industry and or a University.

glamorgan
having to put up with sub-standard facilities may bring some of our underperforming "stars" down to earth. as for the wru investing in something,i suggest a top super 15 backs coach would be a good start.

Agreed, this may happen after the RWC when Howley leaves and I suspect Gatland when we bomb out!

David Wallace was interviewed in the papers last week and he made a point of comparing Ireland's preparations this time around in Charlton House with that of 4 years ago in Spala.

Suffice to say Spala didn't come out too well in the comparision!!

mr-bryns-attitude wrote:glamorgan
having to put up with sub-standard facilities may bring some of our underperforming "stars" down to earth. as for the wru investing in something,i suggest a top super 15 backs coach would be a good start.

Please take Mark Hammett!

If it's true that Ireland's players think that their pre-World Cup preparations at Spala had a negative effect on their performance at last tournament, it really makes me wonder why Gatland's taken the Welsh squad. He must have known that Eddie O'Sullivan had taken the Ireland squad there; did he ask anybody involved how it went?

come on, thought gatland is mr analysis, he looks at the numbers and surely he wouldnt go and waste the WRU money on a camp which wouldnt work, espicially since his neck is on the line, and all the players seem to think it has helped

i think the idea is to get them out of the goldfish bowl into some sort of isolation with no distractions, tbh you can have all the facilities in the world, fitness is fitness and is all the same whether you are lugging bricks or fancy high tech machines

luckless_pedestrian wrote:If it's true that Ireland's players think that their pre-World Cup preparations at Spala had a negative effect on their performance at last tournament, it really makes me wonder why Gatland's taken the Welsh squad. He must have known that Eddie O'Sullivan had taken the Ireland squad there; did he ask anybody involved how it went?

The issue was that they spent too much time there I think (3 weeks). They then had a training camp in France and then they were housed in a hotel in an industrial estate miles from nowhere. They were bored sick with nothing to do but train and they missed their families/friends/home. Munster Rugby sent their academy there the following year for a week.

By the way, there is one of those Cryotherapy Chambers in Ireland (White's Hotel, Wexford - which is not far from Rosslare-Swansea Ferry terminal).

For this world cup, most of the preseason work is being done in the provinces so that the players are not away from home for more than they have to be.

Sin e':

I think Ireland have learnt a lesson and made the correct decision.

A lot of the Welsh players have very young children and being away from home for such long periods is going to be hard on the players and their families even prior to the RWC in NZ!

Ireland management seem to be better at looking after their players welfare and more likely to be rewarded with a better team spirit.

I seem to have read somewhere that Gatland took Wasps there before their HC triumph. I also think instead of 3 stadia at the new complex in Bridgend, why not one of these Cryotherapy Units instead of one of the stadiums. There is talk of a full sized running track and within 3 miles there are Merthyrmawr sand dunes, that I know for a fact top Athletic Clubs from around Britain use for endurance work

They do look like machines fairplay.

I don't think being away for one week or less will be doing anyone much harm (yes I realise it's been 2 for some). One thing's for certain though; if they aren't ready for the physicality of the Samoan's after this then someone is in need of a good back-hander.

nottins_jones

"His name's Henry Jones Jnr... We named the dog nottins."

This did not work for Ireland. It can't be blamed on their capitulation in 2007 either. That was down to the coach.

It may be just the isolation this Welsh squad needs to bond, fast-heal as a squad (mentally & physically) and click. May work for them.

Credu.