The All Blacks will begin their World Cup year in an SAS-style camp - news which has left one former participant, Kiwi league star Richard Barnett, saying simply: "I'd hate to be in their shoes."
The 40 members of the All Black training squad will not wear shoes atthe four-day camp at the Hobsonville air base early next month. They have already been issued Army boots to break in to prepare for the ordeal.
All Black manager Mike Banks says the aim is to gauge how the players react under stress and see who excels in leadership roles. He and coach John Hart have worked out the programme with the SAS and the Army.
"There won't be any footballs," said Banks. "We've asked the Super 12 coaches not to use the players in the warm-up games immediately after the camp because they will be so shattered."
Banks will not reveal the drills, but the Kiwi rugby league side prepared for the 1995 World Cup in Great Britain by spending a day at a similar camp.
Barnett, the former Aucklander who plays for Sydney City, said it was an experience he would never forget.
"You go through some pretty tough training in our game but the physical and mental pressure at the camp was unbelievable, and we were only there for a day," he said.
"We couldn't wait to get out of there. It wasn't a pleasant thing to do.
"At the end of the day it was all about relying on your team-mates, and I think it did help us."
The drills, which were carried out wearing energy-sapping overalls, included:
* Groups of six players carrying a "body" 400m on a stretcher through waist-high mud, while also passing around a heavy water canister.
* Boxing against three team-mates, each for 30 seconds at a time, before all three got in the ring to fight the target.
* Negotiating an obstacle course while blindfolded, with team-mates giving the survival instructions.
"When we've talked about it since, everyone says `can you believe we did that?'," said Barnett.
