Gatland's 5am training session a wake-up call

Rees and his men returned yesterday from their second 10-day camp in Poland, where coach Warren Gatland has been putting them through their paces.

Wales, who play England in eight days in the first of back-to-back warm-up games against Martin Johnson's men, have been accused in the past of being behind the rest of the rugby world in fitness and conditioning.

But Rees insists there's no danger of similar allegations this time around. Speaking about the final training session of the Spala camp, he said: "The sun had just about come up, we had time to grab an energy shake and warm-up and then we went into a full-on rugby session which was at full tilt by 5.15am, before we went in for breakfast.

"It was a shock but it was just a case of getting on with it. It was the last thing we wanted to do but that's the kind of pressure we will be under at the World Cup.

"The pressure will be on every one of us and we will have to perform, but it starts with England next week."