The Ospreys took their preparations for Friday night's Magners League game at Connacht on the road on Wednesday evening when they visited the Talbot Athletic Ground for a training session.
Scott Johnson and his coaching team took the squad to the home of Aberavon RFC for their final training run before heading to Galway today, to give the youngsters in the squad yet to experience the Sportsground environment an opportunity to train in similar conditions.
Director of Coaching Johnson said:
“We only had a short turnaround in terms of preparation time from last weekend but we wanted to do something a little bit different. Just as was the case with last week’s game at Bridgend, it’s important that the boys all know about the communities of Ospreylia, and taking them to Aberavon, a proud and historic rugby club, certainly allows them to find out a bit more.
“The group that will be involved on Friday night will include a number of youngsters who maybe haven’t been to Galway before, so we thought it would be good to try and replicate as best we could the conditions that they are likely to face out there. Like the Sportsground, the Talbot Athletic Ground is pretty open to the elements and the conditions can be quite difficult when the weather is as it has been. By taking the training session there and putting it back to the evening instead of earlier in the day as they are used to, hopefully it can take them out of their comfort zone a little and focus their minds on the job in hand, which is a very difficult trip to Connacht.”
After the training session, the squad then relocated inside the Club House for a team activity that saw the players pitting their wits against each other, all part of the plan to help the current group of players knit together in the absence of 17 on international duty.
“People always tend to think that success in rugby is all about what happens on the field, but it’s also about the personal stuff as well” added Johnson.
“A number of younger players have stepped up during this period, and as a group, there are little things that we are can do which will help to bring us together. It’s about creating a positive environment here, a little bit of fun, but with a serious edge that will sharpen minds for the two important Magners League matches that this group has over the next couple of weekends.
“We are grateful to everyone at Aberavon RFC for what was, as always, a fantastic welcome.”