England Rugby | Nations Championship

International rugby demands more than fitness.

Long-haul travel. Altitude. Repeated collisions. High-speed efforts deep into fatigue. Across the Nations. Championship, preparation becomes about more than building strength alone. It becomes about adapting the body and mind to environments designed to expose weakness.

That preparation begins long before the first fixture.

For England Rugby player and Castore athlete Cadan Murley, the focus throughout camp has been building toward the specific demands this tournament will place on the squad. “Preparation is key for any series,” he explains, “but especially this one where there will be lots of travel and playing at altitude.”

Every session is designed with that reality in mind.

Preparation for elite rugby is no longer generic. It has become increasingly specific to the conditions players will face once they step onto the pitch.

Ahead of the Nations Championship, England players have incorporated altitude simulation into training through Watt Bike sessions using altitude masks, replicating the demands they will experience later in the tournament. The objective is not simply endurance, but control under fatigue.

“Controlling your breathing has been a massive factor,” Murley says. “When you’re struggling to get air into your lungs, the more controlled you can stay with long deep breaths, the quicker you recover.”

That ability to recover quickly becomes critical at Test level, particularly for players built around repeat high-intensity movement. As a winger, Murley’s preparation is centred around maintaining speed and decision-making late into games, when physical output is hardest to sustain.

“At the end of sessions we’ll do repeated high-intensity speed efforts,” he explains. “You’re already fatigued from training, then exposed to above Test-match intensity work to prepare for those moments in games.”

The demands of international rugby are not managed through training alone.

Recovery has become equally important to sustaining performance across long campaigns, particularly when physical load increases week after week. For Murley, recovery is less about routine and more about understanding what the body requires at a given moment.

“My non-negotiables change week to week,” he says. “The main thing is listening to your body and the experts around you.”

Ice baths after heavy contact sessions. Stretching and sauna work to maintain movement. Targeted massage treatment to manage physical load before it accumulates. Every detail contributes toward maintaining performance standards throughout the tournament.

Because at this level, preparation is rarely visible on matchday itself.
It’s built quietly through the work completed beforehand.

Performance apparel forms part of that preparation too.

Training repeatedly in kit designed to support movement, regulate temperature and withstand elite-level intensity allows players to prepare without distraction before stepping into Test match environments.

“If the kit doesn’t match your levels of prep, then you’ll be a step behind,” Murley says.

But beyond the physical preparation, there remains something bigger attached to every England appearance. The moment the shirt is pulled on still carries the same emotional weight.

“When I think about wearing the England shirt, it’s immense pride,” he says. “Not just for myself, but for all those around me that helped me get there. I’m a product of those around me and I want to represent them as best I can.”

Because tournaments are not defined by preparation alone.

But the teams who prepare best give themselves the strongest chance when the pressure arrives.