England will break new ground in their bid to win the Rugby World Cup by heading to Italy next year for two training camps in intense summer heat. Eddie Jones’s squad are in Portugal for a prolonged warm-weather workout before the autumn Tests next month and those who do not like it hot can expect a torrid 12 months.
Jones, who has extensive experience of coaching in Japan, is determined to prepare his players for the climatic extremes awaiting them in Japan and has already put them through their paces in artificially enhanced temperatures at their regular base in Bagshot. Next summer they will be exposed to the real thing when they make two visits to Treviso in northern Italy, where the July weather is reliably hot and humid.
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England’s battle plans for previous tours and tournaments have not always had the desired results, with their series defeat in South Africa in June notable for successive defeats at altitude after the management had opted to base the players at sea level throughout. It is increasingly clear Jones has a bigger picture in mind and is determined to ensure his squad can cope with whatever conditions they encounter at RWC 2019.
To that end, in addition to various mini-camps around England’s regions, England’s players will find themselves making trips to Treviso, around 40km north of Venice in Italy’s rugby heartland. Jones is friendly with the former Saracens and Italy hooker Fabio Ongaro and, after studying various options, has concluded the area “is almost a no‑brainer for us” as a training venue.
“Treviso’s climatic conditions are very similar to the possible conditions we could encounter in Japan,” Jones said. “We can also get a hotel and training ground that is going to be very similar to what we’ll have in Japan.
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“It’s common sense that if you are playing in warm weather you have to get used to it physically, mentally and skill-wise and in terms of how you recover. We’ve already heat‑tested the players once at Pennyhill Park before the South African tour and there were a number who had negative reactions to the heat. We’ve got to do more work in getting them right. The usual players coped best – the Farrells, the Fords. Good players always find a way to adapt.”
Life in Portugal this week, until now, has been rather more genteel, with full-bore training not due to commence until Friday and the majority unwinding from their recent Champions Cup exertions by playing table tennis and pool. Jones, though, is keenly aware the opening autumn Test is fast approaching and that South Africa have latterly spent far more time together than his England squad have enjoyed.
While the Springboks will be without several influential England-based players – the game on 3 November has been scheduled outside the official window and their clubs are not obliged to release them – Jones must plug the holes left by the injury and unavailability of, among others, Billy and Mako Vunipola, Joe Marler, Nathan Hughes, Chris Robshaw, Joe Launchbury and Sam Simmonds.
The involvement of the centre Alex Lozowski, who is appealing against his suspension for a dangerous clear‑out against Glasgow, also remains up in the air. As things stand the 25-year-old is only ineligible for the Springboks encounter but ECPR is also now appealing against the independent disciplinary committee’s decision to dismiss a second citing complaint against the player in the same game. Both appeals will be heard in London on Friday.
Jones’s midfield options will further hinge around the sharpness of Manu Tuilagi and Ben Te’o in the Algarve, with both centres having missed more England Tests than they have played in recent times.
Jones, though, reckons his squad – or at least those still standing – are collectively better placed than they were 12 months ago. “Our players are in the best condition I’ve seen them over the three years at this stage,” he said.
“I’ve never seen them looking leaner, with better body composition. Mentally they are a lot better than last year. We’ve lost 320 caps but we’re still going to put together a really good team. We’ve got a number of players coming back who I haven’t seen for a long time, like Te’o and Manu. They bring a different dimension to the team.”
Jones sees Tuilagi primarily as a 13 and Te’o as a 12 as he plots how best to unpick a South Africa defence he rated as the most impressive in the recent Rugby Championship. “They have been together since June and are a well-organised team. They know how to win big games of rugby and have gone back to their roots. It is good old‑fashioned Springbok rugby. We expect them to be at their best.”