Some All Blacks have turned to traditional Japanese practices to recover from their intense training sessions in Beppu this week.
Eleven players, including captain Kieran Read, headed to the famous Beppu Beach Sand Baths for recovery where they were covered in hot sand to help soothe their tired muscles from training.
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen revealed earlier this week the team would engage in a tough, physical programme ahead of their match against Canada next week to prepare for the knockout phase of the Rugby World Cup - a strategy successfully implemented in 2015.
Steve Hansen said it will be a big week of training as the team replicates the training plan that was so successful during the 2015 Rugby World Cup. (Source: Other)
"What happens now is we’ve got to knuckle down and make sure we work hard so when we get down to the quarter-final week that we can make sure that we can do what we need to do without having to knock them (the players) around," Hansen said.
"If we do the work now we might be able to do something a little different that week to get a little more prepared for it, from a freshness state."
Along with the sand baths - a practice that was started by Buddhist monks around the year 1260 - the All Blacks have also enjoyed using the hot pools around Beppu for recovery as well.
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