Players were supplied with raw (non-pasteurised) milk and there were elements of a gluten-free diet. There were also stricter guidelines around what players could eat after games. Previously players refuelled on their own terms post-match.
"It was all very different - some of it quite radical - so obviously it took some of the boys a long time to adjust," said one Warriors player. "One of the biggest changes was when we went away. There wasn't the spaghetti bolognese, the pasta, bread or rice - it was lamb shanks and steaks. They were still very hearty meals but the guys had to get their heads around it."
It led to some players leaving the team hotel to find their own sustenance before games, as they struggled with what were foreign concepts.
Sports nutrition has always been a subject of considerable debate. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was shocked to see steak, chips and beans on the match-day menu when he first arrived at the London club in 1996 and generations of All Blacks wouldn't think twice about heavy, meat-oriented meals a few hours before kickoff.
Conversely, New Zealand rugby sevens coach Gordon Tietjens preaches "no [red] meat after Wednesday" with his players and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was one of a number of Roosters players who followed a raw meat diet last year.
"My approach does raise eyebrows because it goes against a lot of modern-day, mainstream sports nutrition," said Warriors nutritionist Lee-Anne Wann, who was a consultant for TV series Downsize Me. "With any change, there is always going to be some resistance."
Wann described her mantras as a combination of "primal, paleo and traditional".
"I'm coming against modern-day sports nutrition, which says eat cereals, drink sports drinks, eat toast, have muffins and eat pasta. That might work for some people but is not ideal for everyone and not ideal for longevity of careers. I want them eating nutrient-dense foods, as close to the natural source as possible.
"It is challenging," added Wann, who also advocates minimising protein shakes and sugary snacks. "It's much easier to conform to what everyone else is doing but I'm here to help those boys with their careers and make the best decisions for now, the next year and the year after."
More flexibility on both sides has meant it's less of an issue this year. Players have adapted to Wann's approach, and some have enthusiastically bought into her ideas.
"It has really worked for me," one player said. "I have taken a lot of her ideas on board and will be staying with them."
For her part, Wann said she now has a better understanding of individual player requirements, meaning she is less restrictive and open to providing more options.
"They have to be happy as well as healthy and sometimes you need to respect the rituals and routines, irrelevant of whether they are the most beneficial for that person physically," Wann said.
"There is also always a settling-in period but I am confident in the direction that we are going."
