Wales held an open training session in Japan this morning and there was a remarkable turnout as locals flocked to see them.
Aside from the incredible support on show, it was a good opportunity to get a close glimpse of Warren Gatland’s side as they prepare for their Rugby World Cup opener against Japan.
They are now just one week out from the game against Georgia in Toyota City, so the attention has now well and truly turned to that.
So what did we pick up during the session?
Cory Hill’s progress
The Wales lock is battling to get fit for the Australia game as he continues to recover from a small fracture in his leg.
He was present at training but didn’t take any part in the action.
Instead, he was on the side of a pitch working up a serious sweat on a wattbike. Exercising on a bike allows him to work up a sweat without putting too much weight through his injured limb.
After training had finished he then did some skills work with conditioning coach Huw Bennett. Kneeling on the floor, to ensure there was no stress on the leg, Bennett launched balls at him from close range as if it were a lineout.
The challenge for Hill was to get his hands up in time to catch the ball.
He then did some walking skills work, catching balls. It appears progress is being made but it’s a race against time to get fit to face the Wallabies in Tokyo.
Patchell on his way back
Wales' other injury concern was to fly-half Rhys Patchell, who suffered a concussion in the defeat to Ireland before the flew out to Japan.
The Scarlet has been going through the HIA protocols but Gatland seemed relatively relaxed about his fitness at a press conference yesterday.
Patchell was out there on the pitch in front of the crowds and took a significant part in training.
He may still have certain tests that he needs to pass but the signs are promising and he looks likely to feature against Georgia.
Conditions are difficult
There has been a lot of talk about the humidity and how Wales are combating it in the last few days.
Gatland revealed they have been putting water or baby oil on the balls to make them more slippery, getting the players used to dealing with the reduced grip.
They were soaking them in water here but individuals didn’t seem to struggle when it came to handling during drills.
However their training shirts were drenched in sweat by the end of the session.
So far their skills are standing up to the tests, but, physically, this is going to be a very difficult World Cup.
Walk throughs, not run throughs
It was unusual to see but at the end of the session, a full XV did walk throughs of set piece plays in a more condensed field.
There was no explosiveness, no sprinting. Literally just walking through the moves that sometimes involved a lot of passing and sometimes kicking.
It appeared to be all about getting familiar with passages of play and ensuring everybody knew where they had to be.
Something very different compared to the rip-roaring blocks of training we’re used to seeing.
Kitakyushu really has turned red
Before travelling to Kitakyushu, there were a number of pictures posted on social media of banners and Wales flags on buses.
It looked nice but you wondered if it was only going to be a snapshot of the city. Then, upon arrival, it became apparent that there were really banners all over the city and everywhere you went, you could find a Wales rugby top.
Then, at the open training session, when 15,000 people turned up to watch Wales train, you realised that they really have made an impact in this part of the world.
Over the last 18 months, they have been running a number of training courses and mass participation events as part of a legacy programme in the city.
And the locals couldn’t wait to get up close and personal with the players. It was truly remarkable to witness.
