July 22, 2004

Ten Glasgow players to make the trip to Spala

Posted by Editor on July 22, 2004 01:33 PM | 6 comments | Print | E-mail author

Graeme Morrison is in the Scotland squad travelling to Spala
Ten Glasgow players are included in a Scotland squad of 38 that will head off to Spala in Poland for an intensive week of fitness training from 27 July - 5 August.

Graeme Beveridge, Andy Henderson, Sean Lamont, Graeme Morrison, Dan Parks, Gordon Bulloch, Donnie Macfadyen, Cammy Mather, Jon Petrie and new Glasgow signing, Andy Craig are all included in the squad.

Glasgow prop Euan Murray is unavailable due to injury.

Interestingly, former Glasgow full-back Moffat">Stuart Moffat, now with Borders is included in the squad. Stuart, along with fellow full-back Glenn Metcalfe, was deemed surplus to requirements at Glasgow leaving the Hughenden club without a recognised no.15. Stuart has signed for the Borders for next season.

The Spala resort, used by Olympic athletes as well as rugby and football squads such as Ireland and London Wasps, enables the squad to undergo specific work-outs and training concentrating on fitness, strength and recovery, individual defensive and continuity skills as well as individual goal setting and planning.

The main advantage of the venue is the world class training facilities offered – power rooms, an olympic pool, running track – as well as a cryotherapy, a cold chamber into which the players go after training sessions. As their bodies get used to the temperatures, it gets progressively colder with every session, ending up at around -134°c.

The players spend only around 2½ minutes at a time in the freezing cold, the purpose of which is so that their blood travels from their extremities to their vital organs. Following each cold session, they will take part in a post-cryo work out, letting their blood travel back around their whole body, minus the lactic acid that would have built up in their muscles following training and exercise had they not been in the cold chamber.

Therefore the recovery time is much less, meaning they can take part in more training activities, more often during their stay.

This is the second year the Scots have visited Spala. They undertook a similar trip before taking part in last year's IRB Rugby World Cup in Australia and coach Matt Williams wants the trip to be an annual event: "The facilities offered are second to none and the trip gives the players an intensive period to work not only on the physical aspect of their game but also concentrate on every other aspect of being a professional sportsman. For example, they will be undergoing an intensive nutrition education programme while there. The cryotherapy is very important but it only makes up around 12 minutes of the whole day so the other fitness aspects they'll be taking part in are equally as important."

The squad: Backs – Graeme Beveridge (Glasgow Warriors), Mike Blair (Edinburgh Rugby), Andy Craig (Glasgow Warriors), Chris Cusiter (The Borders), Simon Danielli (Bath Rugby), Andrew Henderson (Glasgow Warriors), Ben Hinshelwood (Worcester), Robbie Kydd (Saracens), Sean Lamont (Glasgow Warriors), Moffat">Stuart Moffat (The Borders), Graeme Morrison (Glasgow Warriors), Gareth Morton (The Borders), Dan Parks (Glasgow Warriors), Chris Paterson (Edinburgh Rugby), Gordon Ross (Leeds Tykes), Hugo Southwell (Edinburgh Rugby), Nikki Walker (The Borders), Ali Warnock (The Borders), Simon Webster (Edinburgh Rugby)

Forwards – Gordon Bulloch (Glasgow Warriors), Bruce Douglas (The Borders), Ross Ford (The Borders), Iain Fullarton (Sale Sharks), Scott Gray (The Borders), Stuart Grimes (Newcastle Falcons), Craig Hamilton (Newcastle Falcons), Nathan Hines (Edinburgh Rugby), Allister Hogg (Edinburgh Rugby), Allan Jacobsen (Edinburgh Rugby), Donnie Macfadyen (Glasgow Warriors), Cammy Mather (Glasgow Warriors), Scott Murray (Edinburgh Rugby), Jon Petrie (Glasgow Warriors), Rob Russell (London Irish), Steve Scott (The Borders), Craig Smith (Edinburgh Rugby), Tom Smith (Northampton Saints), Jason White (Sale Sharks)

Comments
Posted by hugh on July 23, 2004 12:26 PM | Reply to this comment

"Our players are fit. What we’re saying, though, is we have to get to world-class standards. Our endurance and running is quite good, but we have to work on our power and strength." Matt Williams

The above quote was taken from a recent edition of the Scotsman. A question for Matt:

Could any of your squad of 2004 run 47.6 sec for 400 metres? With all the benefits and support of having both a National Performance Coordinator, a High Performance Manager, and the best of modern facilities at your disposal this could be possible. As you are probably placing emphasis on speed/endurance work during this phase of your programme.

Why 47.6 sec?

This was the time achieved by a Scottish wing in 1924. capped seven times when playing for Edinburgh University.the name Eric Liddell . He forsook his boots for his spikes and went out and won 400 metres gold medal at the Paris Olympics in 1924 in 47.6 seconds as one of the two "Chariots of Fire". On the morning of the final the G.B team masseur (the physio and performance manager of that era good value for money then) passed him a note.

The note read "In the old book it says, 'He that honours me I will honour. Wishing you the best of success always'."

Why not take the lads down to Meadowbank or better Goldenacre or Inverleith both of which more accurately replicate the conditions of the Chariots of Fire era and put them to the test.

Posted by ex_caledonian_red on July 24, 2004 02:23 AM | Reply to this comment

sport in general has gone well beyond what it was all those years ago. as someone who has been in pro sports for a while i'm afraid the in your case the £ has become the true cost of sport. leaving bloos, sweat and tears well behind in the stakes.

Posted by ex_caledonian_red on July 24, 2004 02:26 AM | Reply to this comment

I'm afraid that sport back then is a far cry from what sport is now. Back in the days of Eric Liddel it was blood, sweat and tears to compete. Nowadays it's all down to the magic , as you guys are concerned, the magic £. I hope that you bear this in mind when you watch your district side in the CL. Money doesn't make athletes.

Posted by GaryIPA on July 23, 2004 09:20 PM | Reply to this comment

I doubt any of the players today would be fit to lace Mr Liddell's boots

Posted by hugh on July 26, 2004 04:11 PM | Reply to this comment

thats exqactly my point re £££ it doesn't always equate with success on pitch/track it is deeper than that

Posted by Phall on July 28, 2004 10:15 AM | Reply to this comment

Given the utter cr that the Scotland squad performed in last years tests and then RWC after the vaunted trip to Spala I'm a bit underwhelemed to say the least.

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