Wales v Australia, Millennium Stadium, November 6
Gatland adds weight to Wallabies clash
ESPNscrum Staff
November 3, 2010
Wales coach Warren Gatland offers some instruction, Wales training session, The Vale of Glamorgan, Cardiff, Wales, February 4, 2010
Wales coach Warren Gatland has turned to weights vests in training © Getty Images
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Wales coach Warren Gatland has turned to weighted training vests as he seeks to fine-tune his players' fitness prior to Saturday's showdown with Australia in Cardiff.

The Wallabies arrive in Wales hot on the heels of their Hong Kong triumph over the All Blacks and Gatland is hoping that the weighted vests will give his players an edge in the closing stages of what is set to be a draining encounter.

"We've had the guys wearing weighted vests to try to fatigue them a little bit and push them pretty hard," Gatland said. "It feels like you are running a little bit harder than you normally would. They are weighted to a percentage [5%] of the players' body-weight. You run the same distance, and when you take the vest off, you potentially feel a little bit sharper and a bit quicker.

"We are trying also in a couple of conditioning sections to replicate a little bit that 60-minute period in a game when the players are really under fatigue and to improve their accuracy and decision-making."

Ospreys lock Alun-Wyn Jones believes that the vests will have a positive impact come kick-off, but admitted to a fair amount of trepidation after seeing them lying around Wales' Vale of Glamorgan training base.

"The vests have always been there, and I've always looked at them and wondered, 'was it going to be today, or tomorrow?'," he said. "Inevitably, it was this week, but we are glad we did it.

"I would say the novelty wore off within about two days. I am sure it's alright for a back, if you are 80 kilos and wearing 5% of your body-weight. If you are 120 kilos and wearing 5% of your body-weight, it's not fun. Have I seen the benefits? Yes, taking them off! I can feel my knees and ankles again, then.

"The idea was we train shorter, but with the vests you are carrying the extra weight and you get the sling-shot effect. Not the first session we took them off, but the second day, we were definitely a little bit sharper because you are not carrying the extra 5%, or whatever it is. It's good. It's extra work without knowing you are doing it, and ultimately it's what the actual game is like, whether you are hitting rucks or kick-chasing."

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