Shane Williams’ column: I’m really missing all that freezing and wheezing!
On the surface, players hate it. The days are long, the training is relentless and often there is nothing to do in the evening apart from rest your aching muscles. But deep down, you love it.
Rugby is not just about throwing a ball around. It’s about conditioning yourself to be in the best shape you can and fighting for the ultimate chance of playing at a World Cup. And what is more, you’re going through it all with some great mates.
I know what these guys are enduring and what it means to them. You drag each other through the tough times and hopefully come out the other end as better players and closer for the experience.
For the first time in 12 years, I won’t be part of it and I really miss it. Watching the footage of the Wales guys in Switzerland just hammers home the fact that I will not be there at the World Cup.
It’s remarkable how things have changed a great deal since my first experience of preparing for the 2003 World Cup.
There was never any mention of training at altitude, of cryotherapy tubes or hypoxic chambers back then.
Back in 2003, Steve Hansen took us to a sports training camp in Lanzarote to simply get out of Wales and away from the public eye.
Then it was more about quantity than quality. We started training at 6am when there was barely any light. The place didn’t have floodlights so we were throwing a ball around in the darkness. It was ridiculous really.
Steve had the opinion at the time that we weren’t fit enough and the clubs were not doing enough to get us ready for international rugby.
I think he was pretty harsh, and I’m not sure he always found the balance between pushing players to the limit and beyond.
But Steve, being Steve, he just did things his way and I actually enjoyed it. At that point I was in the same position that guys like Tyler Morgan, Ross Moriarty and Matthew Morgan are in now. Everything to gain and nothing to lose.
Back then it was Dafydd James who lost out while me and Rhys Williams came through.
And that’s a warning to players today. It’s a big squad and 16 players will be disappointed not make the World Cup – so make sure it’s not you.
Four years later it was Gavin Henson. He was in a tough place with injuries and things happening off the field.
Gav always trained well but he didn’t have the same zip about him and he was never shy when it came to letting his opinions be known. I’m sure heading off to record reality TV show The Bachelor didn’t help his cause, even if he did return to camp with some funny stories.
We had gone to Pornichet on the west coast of France. It was the same resort we were to be based at for the World Cup a few months later.
It was remote and very quiet so when we returned for the tournament, it was like Groundhog Day and the general feeling was ‘Oh no, we’re back here again!’
Technology moved on and in 2011 we went to Spala in Poland, which was the toughest training I experienced throughout my career.
It was in the middle of nowhere so there were absolutely no distractions.
The cryotherapy was painful and some of the experienced guys like Martyn Williams and Stephen Jones hated being in there.
Of course, being competitive, we were all challenging each other to stay in as long as possible, but there is only so long you can handle temperatures as low as minus 130 degrees.
The people running the place warned us that your heart would stop from hypothermia after six minutes!
Now things seem to have moved on yet again with the work teams are doing at altitude.
England have gone to Denver while Wales will be going to Qatar after Switzerland.
From what I’ve heard, the training is tougher than ever but the ultimate prize awaits them.
