The virtues of the high performance facility in Spala are well known, with the camp avoiding any distraction for the players, situated deep in a picturesque forest miles from civilisation.

An Ireland senior national squad first went there in 2001 for 21 days, but in subsequent years visits have been reduced to fit in with the pre-season training for the Ireland players.

The training facilities include swimming pools, a full sized indoor athletics arena with a reduced impact surface; power and weight-lifting facilities, an expanse that would be bigger than half the size of Lansdowne Road, an outdoor running track and a rugby pitch.

It also has the now famous cryotherapy facility which is basically a very large freezing chamber that speeds up the recovery from the fatigue of training.

The IRFU National Fitness Director, Liam Hennessy, told the IRFUs official website: ''After a physical session, players would go into the chamber set at minus 60 degrees Celsius before spending between two and three minutes in the main chamber itself where the temperature ranges from minus 125 degrees Celsius to minus 140 degrees Celsius.

The cold penetrates so deep, it's a massive hit. The players come out almost in a state of euphoria, happy just to be out.

In essence the cryotherapy chamber allows players to train harder, allowing them to get through more physical training and give them a better preparation for the season.