Wales turn to ice towels and cold flannel hats to combat extreme heat in Japan

Wales have turned to ice towels and freezing flannel hats to combat the extreme conditions in Japan.

The thermometer has hovered around the 33 degrees Celsius mark since the Wales squad touched down in the Far East last Thursday ahead of their two-Test series against the Brave Blossoms.

Add the draining humidity and the temperatures feels much hotter for the Wales squad, who had eight ice baths at the side of the pitch during Tuesday’s training session.

Each player in the 33-strong squad was required to spend a minimum of five minutes in an ice bath and 500 kilos of ice was used in the session.

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'Tough training session'

Back-rower Aaron Wainwright told reporters: “We had a tough training session on Tuesday.

“We had a couple of soaking wet, ice-cold flannel hats to put on and some ice towels and cold water bottles.

“Hopefully that helps us recover and hopefully we get to use some of that in the game as well.

“I’ve been to Turkey and that’s one of the hottest environments I’ve been in.

“This is definitely right up there, especially humidity-wise. As soon as you’re stepping outside, you’re borderline sweating straight away.

“It’s going to be tough, but hopefully the preparation we’ve done plays a big part on the weekend.”

Japan coach Eddie Jones says his side hope to “run Wales off their feet” in the conditions.

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Kick off 

The former England and Australia boss says he is hoping “the sun comes out” and refused to move Saturday’s kick-off from 2pm local time in Kitakyushu to a cooler part of the day.

“They want to play a fast style of rugby,” said Wainwright.

“They have a lot of strong and fast players in their backline and it is up to us to stop their strong attacking threats getting into the game.

“We will have to try and slow their ball down and impose ourselves on the game so they can’t play fast.”

Wales are seeking to end a run of 17 consecutive Test defeats with their last victory coming at the 2023 World Cup in France.

Wainwright said: “It’s massive. Our minds are fully set on bringing home not just one, but two wins from this tour.

“(It’s about) Bringing that pride back to Welsh rugby fans and the Welsh public.

“Going so long without a win, being able to put an end to that this weekend is something that we’re all aiming for.

“As a collective, we’re hoping that’s the outcome.”