Steve Borthwick has taken England’s World Cup preparations to the next level by urging his players to train in scorching heatwave conditions in Verona, Italy.
With temperatures soaring above 40C, the head coach pushed his team through an arduous 50-minute session at the Payanini sports complex, which serves as the home ground for Verona Rugby Club.
This rigorous training regimen forms part of a heat stress conditioning program meticulously crafted to equip the players both physically and mentally for the demanding moments they may encounter during a Test match.
England’s opening World Cup warm-up game is against Wales in Cardiff on August 5, while head coach Steve Borthwick is due to name his final 33-player squad for the tournament two days later.
Below we look at five interesting observations from England’s latest training session.
#1. Owen Farrell training at centre
In England’s most recent training session, the captain of the team took up a position alongside George Ford, hinting at a potential comeback in the midfield for him at the World Cup.
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