Michael Cheika’s punishing training schedule already seems to be producing the response he was hoping for from the players in his extended Wallabies squad.
They had their first full day together in Newcastle on Monday, after players spent three days last week in state-based camps.
Coach Cheika has made no secret that conditioning is a key plank of his preparation for the anticipated high intensity back-to-back Bledisloe Cup matches, which mark Australia’s start to their Rugby Championship campaign next month.
The players left their hotel around 9am on Monday and finally ended up back there around 11 hours later.
In the intervening hours they were put through a number of sessions, which included fitness and weights workouts and occasional food and rest breaks,
“There was a a few hard days (last week) and I’d say today (Monday) and tomorrow (Tuesday) are going to keep getting harder,” Wallabies’ lock Kane Douglas told AAP.
“But it’s good, it gets all the boys revved up and egging each other on to keep going harder.
“It’s good to go through those hard times together. That binds you together as a group.
“There was a fair bit of learning today with a few things, but it has probably been a long day, but none of the boys are really whingeing about it.”
That response would delight Cheika.
“I suppose, first you get angry then they get a bit rattled and they go through all those things, same as when we all played,” Cheika said..
“You go ‘what are we doing this for?’ And then you get used to it and you start to like it, because you know that it’s an important part of your preparation.
“If you want to be ready to play at the best level, that’s what you’ve got to do.
“You get a lot of respect for each other when you train hard and work hard with each other.
“You can see already the three or four days together in the different places (last week) and now together here, the way they work together, you start to feel the connections.
“In the tough matches, that’s what’s going to get you by, it’s the connection and the bond you’ve got as a team.”