Wales players put in hoods, doused in water and subjected to crying baby sounds in Rugby World Cup training camp
Wales coach Warren Gatland has astonishingly revealed his players were put in hoods and drenched in water during pre-World Cup training.
The New Zealand native also said his squad was subject to the sound of ‘babies crying’, but insists it ‘wasn’t brutal’.
The Rugby World Cup starts on September 8 in France, and Gatland has been going through extraordinary lengths to prepare his team.
Taking them to The Green Mile Training Camp in Cardiff, Gatland explained that he wanted to push his players out of their comfort zone with an army-style training routine.
“We went to the Green Mile with the army and it was a brilliant day but it wasn’t brutal,” he told the media.
“It was more from a psychological challenge that we put them through. They did some power endurance stuff, they were carrying logs uphill and then having to go into a pool.
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“We were talking about putting them in uncomfortable positions, where it’s: ‘How do you bring your heart rate down? How do you get your composure back?’
“They did some stuff where we had them put in hoods, having water tipped over them when they weren’t expecting it. Babies crying, things going off, and it wasn’t a full day. We went there in the morning and finished about 1pm.
“The boys had a bit of lunch, we put some beers on – some had a beer and stayed there for about an hour and enjoyed each other’s company and had some laughs, had some photos with the guys, presented them with a jersey, it was a really good company that was a little bit different.
“[Coach] Huw Bennett organised it and he was worried about how it was going to go, a bit apprehensive about the day but all the feedback we got from the players was really positive.
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“It was different and made them think about things from a different perspective, in terms of being in stressful situations, being in a game where you don’t expect things and how do you react to that.
“You make a mistake, you come under a huge amount of pressure, how do you get your composure back? Trying to relate to those situations. Yeah we’ve been working hard but every day is not brutal, I can promise you that.”