The 47-man squad returned to the U.K this week and have praised the welcome and facilities on offer in the Middle East.
Warren Gatland and his management team were able to ‘take the players out of their comfort zone’ in Doha and were delighted with the results.
“Training in Doha provided our players with the challenge we were hoping for,” said Gatland.
“The welcome and facilities on offer in Qatar were excellent and combining the facilities with the weather and the heat has meant we have got the benefits we were looking for.
“We wanted to take the players out of their comfort zone and place them under heat stress and we certainly got that.
“The players have had to dig very deep during the last month. We have come away from the two camps incredibly impressed. We know we have pushed them physically and mentally to the limit.”
Whilst in Doha, the squad were based at the world-leading Aspire Zone and hosted by Aspetar Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Hospital. The players trained at Qatar’s Aspire Dome which boosted indoor and outdoor full sized rugby pitches, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, an IAAF accredited indoor athletics track, numerous multi-purpose courts and state-of-the-art gyms.
Upon returning to the U.K Wales captain Sam Warburton echoed his coaches views.
“The facilities at Aspire and Aspetar have been some of the very best we have ever experienced. Not only have we been well looked after by our hosts we have been able to use state-of-the-art facilities to push ourselves as much as possible.”
The benefits of Doha stretch much further than simply the training facilities. The squad were able to stay under the watchful eye of leading sports hospital Aspetar during their trip. Using their expert guidance the players continued their live-high train-low stimulus from Switzerland by sleeping in normobaric hypoxic chambers at the hospital. The bedrooms enabled the players to live and sleep at a replicated altitude of in excess of 2250m.
“The facilities on offer here in Doha, are some of the best I have seen in the World,” added Wales’ George North.
“The camp has savage in terms of intensity but facilities on offer have been fantastic.
“We have benefited from the heat stimulus as well as the altitude stimulus on offer (by sleeping in the chambers) and it’s been that hardest thing I have had to do in pre-season. It’s been a hell of a step up for the boys who were here from the last world cup.”
After four days off the squad re-gathers at the WRU National Centre of Excellence on Monday 3 August to prepare for the opening Dove Men Test against Ireland (Saturday 8 August).
