Warren Gatland said he will not apologise for pushing his Wales squad to the edge during their training camp as he looks to return the side to their former glory.
The now-49-man squad is set to report to their base in the Vale of Glamorgan before four players will be cut and the group will head to the first of two training camps before the Rugby World Cup.
Finding the edge
The first will be in Fiesch, Switzerland from July 3-17 before going to Turkey from July 23-31. These camps of Gatland’s are renowned for being tough but the coach believes this is where players can find the edge to produce an 80-minute performance.
“A lot is made about the fitness but the camps are not just about being brutal,” he told BBC Sport Wales.
“This is a chance for us to put in the details that you just don’t get time to do in a normal campaign.
“We’ve prided ourselves in the past that we’ve been able to compete with the best teams in the world because we’ve worked so hard that we can play for the full 80 minutes.
“We won’t fold when we’re under the pump and we can stay in the fight to give ourselves a chance to win.
Test in every sense
“Shaun Edwards once said ‘it’s called a Test match because that’s exactly what it is’. It tests you in every aspect; your resolve, physicality, skills, mental toughness.
“That’s what we are preparing for so I will not apologise for pushing the players to the limit to get the best out of them.”
Gatland praised Adam Beard for his fitness levels and commitment as he hopes the lock can silence doubters in the build-up to the Rugby World Cup.
“Adam gets a huge amount of criticism from fans but he’s worked his butt off. He’s looking in good shape and I’d love to see him shut a few people up,” the head coach added.
Physicality prep
Gatland believes the three preparation games will be tough but will serve the team well particularly from a physicality standpoint.
He said: “We’ve got three good preparation games from a physical point of view in terms of England home and away and South Africa, and then building up towards that opening game. It’s going to be tough.”
Warm-up fixtures
Wales v England, Saturday 5 August, Principality Stadium
England v Wales, Saturday 12 August, Twickenham
Wales v South Africa, Saturday 19 August, Principality Stadium
READ MORE: All the training squads announced so far ahead of the Rugby World Cup
The article Warren Gatland happy to push players to the edge in Wales training camp appeared first on Planetrugby.com.
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