Wales head coach Warren Gatland has promised to open up Millennium Stadium doors for free again so fans can watch his side train on Tuesday, 2 August, ahead of this summer’s pre-2011 Rugby World Cup warm-up matches
It will be the third time in the space of a year that Welsh fans will have been given the chance to watch their heroes train and they turned up in their thousands for the 2010 Autumn Series and 2011 RBS 6 Nations opportunities.
Once again, fans hoping to the likes of James Hook, Gavin Henson and Jamie Roberts put through their training paces, or to check first-hand on the fitness of the returning Shane Williams, Gethin Jenkins and Martyn Williams, will have to log on to www.wru.co.uk/watchwales4free.co.uk to register their interest.
Entry to the Millennium Stadium will be free to everyone and the session will come just four days before Wales’ first warm-up fixture against England at Twickenham Stadium.
“We want as many of the Welsh fans as possible to enjoy the World Cup experience with us and the more fans we can get at our training session on 2 August the more it will lift the players and help them believe they can do something special in September,” said Gatland.
.”We’ve got some really healthy competition at the moment and I hope we get another large turn-out so the fans can see that for themselves. It’s a way of reaching out to the nation and inviting them to get behind the side.
“We had a great turn-out on the last two occasions we threw the gates open and it was really encouraging to see all the young children and families who turned up to enjoy the day.
“It will be an important training session for us ahead of the first of our three World Cup warm-up Tests and will give the fans a taste of the atmosphere which will be in place a week later when England return to the Millennium Stadium for our second game, and when Argentina roll into town on Saturday, 20 August.”
There will be some pre-training entertainment provided for the fans hen the Millennium Stadium gates open at approx 2.30pm on 2 August, with the players due to arrive at 3.00pm for their ‘watchewales4free’ training session.
The full training session will last for about 90 minutes and sections of the audience will be able to meet team members and get autographs and much more besides.
All you have to do to attend for free is register at www.wru.co.uk/watchwales4free and turn up and enjoy the day.
42 PLAYERS HEAD FOR POLISH TRAINING CAMP
Warren Gatland today sent 42 players to Spala, Poland, for the first of two intense training camps ahead of next month’s Rugby World Cup warm-up matches.
The only players named in Wales initial World Cup training squad of 47 who won’t be making the trip are the injured duo of Ospreys hooker Richard Hibbard (shoulder) and Scarlets wing/full back Morgan Stoddart (thigh), Scarlets outside half Stephen Jones (pending the birth of his first child), as well as Sale Sharks scrum-half Dwayne Peel and Melbourne Rebels flanker Gareth Delve, who are unavailable
“We’ve been impressed with the way the squad have responded to the physical pressures we have put them under in the last two weeks. To a man they have all reached the standard to go to Poland,” said Gatland.
“Everyone is still pretty much in the mix, but this is where the real hard work begins. “
The first camp will run from Saturday, 2 July to Monday ,11 July, with the return visit to Poland coming between 16-2 July.
POLISH TRAINING CAMP SQUAD
FORWARDS
FRONT ROW: Scott Andrews, Gethin Jenkins, John Yapp (Blues). Lloyd Burns (Dragons). Adam Jones, Paul James , Ryan Bevington, Huw Bennett (Ospreys). Ken Owens, Matthew Rees (Scarlets). Craig Mtichell (Exeter Chiefs).
BACK 5: Bradley Davies, Sam Warburton, Martyn Williams (Blues). Luke Charteris, Toby Faletau, Dan Lydiate (Dragons). Alun Wyn Jones, Ryan Jones, Jonathan Thomas, Justin Tipuric (Ospreys). Rob McCusker, Lou Reed, Josh Turnbull (Scarlets). Andy Powell (Sales Sharks).
BACKS: Leigh Halfpenny, Richie Rees, Jamie Roberts, Lloyd Williams (Blues). Aled Brew, Jason Tovey (Dragons). Andrew Bishop, Shane Williams (Ospreys). Jonathan Davies, Tavis Knoyle, George North, Rhys Priestland, Scott Williams (Scarlets). Lee Byrne (Clermont Auvergne). Michael Phillips (Bayonne). James Hook (Perpignan). Gavin Henson (Unattached).