The squad are taking dips in baths of icy water as soon as they finish a session at the Carrington training ground, but they are not simply for cooling down in, as Conditioning Coach Juan Carlos Osorio explains.
"They are for regeneration, which means trying to recover the players as quick as we can," says Juan.
"Right after training we get them into the bath for about six minutes, so all the micro traumas that have happened during training don’t open up. We also get them to take carbohydrate and protein drinks after the second session of training, all as part of the regeneration process.
"It is all done to get the players to recover quickly enough, so that the next day we can train them again and provide them with a different stimulus which they will react to."
England’s rugby players used ice baths during their successful 2003 World Cup campaign, and the method has been in use for some time according to Juan.
"They are not new, and there is plenty of evidence there to show that probably the best thing to do after training or games is to shut down the system completely. The players have reacted very well to the baths and hopefully they will pay dividends for us."
With temperatures set to soar into the mid-90s this week, Juan will be keeping a close eye on how the players react, even with the squad having been back in training for two sessions a day for over a week.
"We weigh the players first thing in the morning, and then again after the second session in the afternoon. Based on the difference in weight, we can work out which players are hydrating properly and push them to take care on their fluid intake."
