Harlequins rugby team take on Gurkhas' gruelling 72-hour training camp
The Harlequins rugby squad have been put through their paces by soldiers from The Second Battalion, The Royal Gurkha Rifles.
In preparation for the new Gallagher Premiership season, the team was put through a 72-hour intense military training camp, which challenged the athletes physically, mentally and psychologically.
Billy Millard, director of rugby for the professional rugby club, said: "We've talked about getting the boys out of the comfort of day-in, day-out training, and looked at doing this for a long time."
"It's about building resilience, making memories, and putting them in really uncomfortable situations, without breaking them.
"Just knowing that they can push themselves out of their comfort zone, knowing how good they've got it in their normal training routine... is going to be huge for us long term."
The Gurkhas, who have a reputation for being among the finest and bravest of soldiers in the world, subjected the rugby players and staff to a full range of military fitness and command tasks.
The military training methods focused on the Army's approach to physical and mental resilience.
The players were issued with military kit and took part in a battle physical training session, casualty drags, log and stretcher races, a 15kg weighted march, hill runs, intervals and partner exercises.
On their first night, they participated in a patrol exercise, and fieldcraft training, cooked their rations and put up their basha shelters to sleep under the rainy skies of Kent.
Captain Ed Hicks, 2RGR Operations Officer, said: "The instructors have been impressed with how the Harlequins have acquitted themselves."
"This experience challenged them physically but also forced them to dig deeper mentally, building on all things mental resilience, exposing them to mental hardship."
He continued: "Their fitness is completely different, and we've seen that this week, clearly when these guys are stood next to a Gurkha soldier there is quite some difference.
"Our guys can run for days with a weight on their backs whereas the Harlequins are the elite end of rugby, built and trained for short sharp sprints and maximum power.
"The initial arduous battle PT, took a lot of them by surprise, you saw the moment that required them to mentally switch from we are not here on a 'jolly', but here to learn and get something out of it. Not quite breaking them on the first day, but testing them."
The training camp was an opportunity to learn about the parallels between professional sport and the military, build on leadership, communication and teamwork, and share that knowledge.
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