“ If players have a drill or move
from their club or region that
works, we’re not too proud to
use other people’s ideas”
movement strategy to get off the floor if
you’re trapped under other players.
They split into groups of three to do
a few wrestling drills – all overseen by
Wales’ head of performance and former
Commonwealth Games wrestler Paul‘Bobby’ Stridgeon. First, players grapple
standing, then they go into a series of
Commando-type rolls, avoiding contact
as they jump over each other to work on
their peripheral vision, and then a player
attempts to get up while pinned down
by another. The Jones-Owens-Jake Ball
group is pretty competitive amongst theforwards, while Hadleigh Parkes gets
the biggest cheer from the backs when
he’s paired with Bennett but manages
to shrug him off with relative ease.
It’s not straight to lunch after all that,
though. The hookers – Owens, Elliot
Dee and Ryan Elias – do a throwing
session with Robin McBryde, the
forwards coach shouting out calls while
holding a long pole with a circular net at
the top and the trio aiming to throw into
that net. A pair of glasses that impair
your vision makes things trickier, as does
a set of ropes hanging from the ceiling
and criss-crossing over each other.
“The top rope is like an opposition guy
cutting across at the front of a lineout,”
says Owens. “If the ball hits the bottom
rope you’re too slow; it’s shaping too
much and it’s not a quick enough throw.”Even players undergoing rehab are
hard at work. Jonah Holmes, who had
knee surgery in April, is going through
various exercises with Prav Mathema,
the WRU’s national medical manager,
as he eases back into peak condition.
Once he’s finished, Mathema takes us
on a tour of the medical facilities, where
they can give players scans, measure
neck and limb strength, and ease players
back into running on an Anti-Gravity
Treadmill. “We’ve now got everything
on site,” he explains. “And we all come
to work in the same place every day –
coaches, medics, analysts. We have a
really tight staff and a really tight group
of players, and it’s all very integrated.”
After lunch, players relax with a game
of pool or darts, or head upstairs to play
cards. Others might watch footage from
the earlier session. Head of performance
analysis Rhodri Bown and his teamthe rope to work on keeping their hands
up when passing – all the while trying to
control balls of varying slipperiness.
Another drill has players receiving and
making passes while on their knees to
focus on rotating only their upper body.
Next they work on evasion and passing
in bigger groups, and it’s noticeable
how the likes of Alun Wyn Jones and
Ken Owens chip in with observations to
nail down the key points. For the backs,
it’s the fly-halves who make suggestions.
As Gatland says: “Getting that
feedback can fast-track things. And if
players have a drill or move from their
club or region that works, we’re not too
proud to use other people’s ideas.”
After skills, it’s weights in the new gym.
Huw Bennett – the ex-Wales hooker who
is a strength and conditioning coach – is
in charge of the music, which is so loud
it’s hard to hold a conversation. “Backs
and forwards are different,” he says.
“The backs have hip-hop and R‘n’B
while the forwards are more old school.”
When Rob Evans tries to change the
musical accompaniment but cuts out the
tunes altogether, insults fly in the prop’s
direction – the most tame: “Rob, you
trifle!” Bennett quickly intervenes to get
the sound back on and players return to
their individual weights programmes.
Then it’s upstairs to a huge wrestling
mat. Bennett introduces ‘Shrimps’ and
‘Gracies’, and players set about writhing
along the mat. These MMA techniques
may look odd but provide an efficient
Screen time
Leigh Halfpenny
and Neil JenkinsTop deck A friendly lunchtime card game