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Scotland are ready to ramp up preparations for Tonga in the coming days after \u201ca good, productive week\u201d of down time and recuperation mixed with intense training sessions since their opening World Cup match against South Africa.<\/p>\n
The Scots were idle on the second weekend of the tournament after beginning their campaign with an 18-3 defeat by the defending champions in a gruelling showdown in Marseille on September 10.<\/p>\n
The players were given three days off with their families after that match and returned to the training pitch in Nice on Thursday before undertaking further sessions on Friday and Sunday.<\/p>\n
The Scots\u2019 regular Test week routine effectively begins on Tuesday ahead of next Sunday\u2019s meeting with Tonga, who lost 59-16 to Ireland in their opening match on Saturday.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s been a good, productive week,\u201d said Scotland\u2019s strength and conditioning coach Stuart Yule. \u201cWe had some time off after the game to allow the players to recuperate, recover and spend some time with their families.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had time to get reviews done and then we came back into training on Thursday and had three good physical sessions (Thursday, Friday and Sunday) before we came back into the Test match week.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a good opportunity to get some more physical work in because it\u2019s a long tournament and it\u2019s important we retain our fitness through this period.\u201d<\/p>\n
With a full fortnight between their first two games at the World Cup, Yule explained that the Scots had to find the right balance between down time and keeping the players in prime condition.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a long tournament, but I think it was an opportunity that we\u2019ve had and we\u2019ve taken to work hard,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThe way the tournament is, every team will have different situations in terms of where that week is and what it means.<\/p>\n
\u201cRecuperation and recovery is vital for every player in this tournament because it\u2019s when you grow and adapt.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat few days off after South Africa allowed the bodies to recuperate so in the first session back the players were in excellent form, ready to go again, full of enthusiasm and motivation to work hard in the few days prior to the week of the Tonga match.\u201d<\/p>\n
The start of the World Cup coincided with France sizzling in a late-summer heatwave, with temperatures across the country in the high 20s and even into the 30s since the tournament began. Yule has been impressed with the way the Scots have acclimatised to working in such intense heat.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were fortunate that right at the start of pre-season we had some excellent weather in Scotland and we had a couple of weeks training out here in France (in June and August), so we\u2019ve been exposing the players regularly to the heat,\u201d said Yule.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a perceptual aspect to the heat as well and once you\u2019ve been exposed to it for a while that perception slowly starts to reduce. It\u2019s something we\u2019ve definitely had to consider, especially in terms of hydration and cooling.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThis group\u2019s resilient, it\u2019s the best group I\u2019ve been with in terms of showing an ability to perform in the heat. They are excellent at getting their heads down and doing the work.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had a long period together where we\u2019ve been working hard on our underlying fitness levels and supporting the players with their recovery between training days. The heat\u2019s not affected at all how we\u2019ve prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n