'We've just been getting as much food into him as we can'
Wales lock Adam Beard is set to join full World Cup training this week as he continues his recovery from appendix surgery.
The Ospreys forward had an operation in Cardiff on Wales’ tournament departure day more than three weeks ago.
Beard then flew to Japan ahead of the opening Pool D game against Georgia, linking up with the squad nine days after his colleagues arrived, and he appears to be on course for a potential playing return.
Wales face Fiji in Oita on Wednesday, before meeting Uruguay in Kumamoto four days later.
“Beardy had that operation, which was unfortunate, and then he lost three or four kilos,” Wales head of physical performance Paul Stridgeon said.
Taking charge of the World Cup final is the ultimate achievement for any official. Former referee Paul Smith takes a look at who is winning the race in Japan.https://t.co/iagHRV5qSW
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“He is a great kid who does everything we ask, as do all the players, so we’ve just been getting as much food into him as we can. He has been working hard, doing some extra weights sessions as well, and he has rehabbed well.
“He’s back into full training this week, so he has done well. He might be a couple of kilos down on what he was before, but that won’t affect him in the game.”
The Wales squad arrived in Beppu on Sunday, where they will prepare to meet Fiji, knowing that victory would secure a quarter-final place and potential clash against France.
And if they finish top of the group with an unbeaten record, it would be the first time for Wales to achieve that feat at a World Cup since 1987.
“The boys are in a good place,” Stridgeon added.
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“This 10-day turnaround (between the Austraiia and Fiji games) has allowed us a bit of time. The boys were a bit beaten up after the Australia game, so we had a couple of recovery days, then an optional session on day three, post-game.
“We worked really hard at the pre-World Cup camps, but we also train very intensively when we are together in a Test week. The coaching group allows us to get the strength and conditioning work in that we need.
“We don’t train for long periods, but we train intensively, and because the coaches allow the boys some decent recovery time and some time off, we can make some good gains, even in tournaments.”
Wales head coach Warren Gatland will name his team to face Fiji on Monday, and it looks like being an unchanged starting XV for a third successive match.
Gatland will then make wholesale switches for Uruguay, when first starts of the competition can realistically be expected for players like Hallam Amos, Rhys Carre, Dillon Lewis, Bradley Davies and James Davies.
And Stridgeon, who has previously worked with England and the British and Irish Lions on the international stage, has no doubt where Wales’ current group of players stand in fitness terms.
“It’s the best-prepared squad I’ve worked with by far,” he added.
'The travel makes it difficult so, much as I’d like to go, I will be staying in Japan'https://t.co/8ctgbHLVNX
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“The game is so much more running-based now, the contacts are bigger and it takes the boys a lot longer to recover from the games. The fitness of the boys compared to four years ago, eight years ago… when I started in 2002, the game was totally different. You wouldn’t recognise it.
“Because of the laws of the game, I think players will stop getting much bigger. It’s much more of a running-based game. You don’t see massive 140kg props any more because of the amount of running.
“It will level out and players’ bodyweights will plateau.
“The game is getting faster all the time as players get fitter and faster, but I can’t see it going much further with the rules we have now.”
Watch: Tindell and Giteau pick their World Cup winners.
Comments on RugbyPass
Wasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
3 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
3 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
3 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
30 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
30 Go to comments