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Wales Online
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Wales Online
Inside the Lions' critical plan to avoid issues that hit so hard eight years ago
Inside the Lions' critical plan to avoid issues that hit so hard eight years ago Perth is seven hours ahead of UK time and sleep experts have curated a thorough plan to adjust ahead of their arrival British and Irish Lions players form a huddle before the Lions 1888 Cup match at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin (Image: Niall Carson/PA Wire. ) The first challenge the British & Irish Lions face in Australia won't be Western Force, but the jet lag that shook the squad eight years ago. On the 2017 tour of New Zealand, Lions players were so affected by it that some fell asleep on the bus to the first game against New Zealand Barbarians. This was largely due to the fact they had arrived just three days before. In 2025, however, an all-encompassing framework to tackle the effects of jet lag has been devised, reports The Telegraph. To ensure they hit the ground running Down Under, the Lions have have teamed up with sleep specialists Resmed. Lions staff Ben Pollard, Aled Walters and Graeme Close will oversee the operation. Food timing and food itself has been taken into consideration, along with immune system protection, sleep monitoring and avoiding alcohol. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. "The sleep and jet-lag plans are a critical aspect of how well we hit the ground running in Australia," said head of athletic performance Walters. "Everyone will expect the performance in Perth. No one will think 'but that was probably due to jet lag'. So that's why what these guys have done is critical." Article continues below Lions head of athletic performance Aled Walters. (Image: (Photo by) ) "What we know from the science is that it typically takes a day and a half to adjust per time zone," said head of performance nutrition Close. "But what we can do is put the science into it and we can get that done in about three to four days. So if we get everything right, we can be completely adapted, ready to rip in for game one." Close even added that feeding time matters to players, and the type of food too. He explains that providing a more brunch-style meal at 8am to trick the body into thinking it's seven hours ahead. Also on the food agenda is ensuring players do not over-eat. Close explains that the most common cause for constipation after a flight is eating too much, because the body "doesn't really like a lot of food when you're not moving very much". As well as this, on their flight to Australia, the airline were asked to provide breakfast when it's morning time in Perth, as well as to adjust the lighting to co-ordinate with the time Down Under. Also on the flight, players were asked to change their watches to Perth time, and as part of the advice given to them on the plane, there were even caffeine cut-off times. When it comes to the immune system, players need to be in peak condition ahead of the first touring match. Therefore, Lions have been given immune support packages which include chewing gum to increase saliva production, which protects the body from picking up infections. Immune support also spills into the food players eat, too. First-defence nasal sprays were also provided to players to protect them from picking up anything dodgy. Despite alcohol being a popular fixture in famous Lions tales, especially when it comes to player bonding, it is off limits ahead of their travel to Australia. Close explains that any more than four units of alcohol can impair sleep. "We've all done it when we've had a skinful," he said. "You might get off to sleep quickly, but you're waking up quite often during the night. We know that alcohol does impair sleep. It also puts some stress on the immune system as well. And in excess, it's a diuretic, so it will dehydrate you. So, you put all that together and it's probably not a good thing." Measures will also be taken to manipulate the circadian rhythm (the body's natural sleep-wake cycle) of players. This will take into account light exposure, social times and training times. Pollard adds that players will be asked to not check their phones if they wake in the middle of the night, which would expose them to stimulating blue light. Also, before bed, players are encouraged to take a hot shower. The body falls asleep by a fall in core temperature, and Pollard says you can artificially achieve this with a hot shower. Player sleep will be monitored using Whoop wristbands. Walters explains the statistics from these bands will be used to inform coaches. Article continues below "If we see a trend, if 80 per cent of the players have had a terrible sleep that's something we have to inform the coaches of," he said. "Because they will be more susceptible to those little injuries and you are going, 'is this really how we are going to start the tour?'" Walters says. "The flip side is, if 80 per cent of the squad are sleeping beautifully like babies, that we'd be able to go 'we can probably be a bit more aggressive'." Having played their opener against Argentina in Dublin on Friday night, which resulted in a loss against a quality Pumas outfit, the Australia tour begins against Western Force on June 28 at Optus Stadium.
Telegraph
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
How Lions will counter jet lag to avoid repeat of 2017 fiasco
The first major challenge the British and Irish Lions will face when they touch down in Perth on Sunday will be overcoming jet lag. Eight years ago, the squad landed in Auckland just three days before their opening game against the New Zealand Barbarians in Whangarei, and some players were struggling so badly that they fell asleep on the bus to the game. This time the Lions management team is determined to minimise the sleep disruption caused by travelling across seven time zones, which according to the latest science, can take up to 10 days to recover from. The Lions face the Western Force in Perth six days after they land. The Lions party of 91 players, coaches, support staff and executives will each be given a personal plan devised by their sports scientists, Graeme Close, the head of performance nutrition, and Ben Pollard, a strength and conditioning coach, all overseen by Aled Walters, the head of athletic performance. The Lions have also partnered with sleep specialists Resmed for the tour. 'The sleep and jet-lag plans are a critical aspect of how well we hit the ground running in Australia,' says Walters. 'Everyone will expect the performance in Perth. No one will think 'but that was probably due to jet lag'. So that's why what these guys have done is critical.' The first thing in the Lions' favour is that the last game before departure (Friday's loss to Argentina in Dublin) was eight days before their first tour game, unlike 2017 when players were involved in the Premiership and United Rugby Championship finals the previous weekend and the squad did not depart for New Zealand until the Monday. 'What we know from the science is that it typically takes a day and a half to adjust per time zone,' Close says. 'But what we can do is put the science into it and we can get that done in about three to four days. So if we get everything right, we can be completely adapted, ready to rip in for game one.'
Reuters
28-01-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Lions strengthen backroom staff for Australia tour
Jan 28 (Reuters) - Former Australia international David Nucifora will join the British and Irish Lions as general manager of performance ahead of this year's tour of Australia, the team said on Tuesday. Ireland's head of athletic performance Aled Walters will assume the same role on head coach Andy Farrell's backroom staff after this year's Six Nations Championship. "David's unrivalled experience will help us shape and deliver such a challenging and exciting rugby programme, whilst also bringing essential insight into Australian rugby and the country as a whole," Farrell said in a statement. "Aled is a World Cup winner who has worked with players across England and Ireland and has also coached in Australia and Super Rugby with the Brumbies." The Lions are set to play nine tour matches in Australia starting in June, including three tests against the Wallabies.
