The atmosphere will doubtless be white-hot when Ireland lock horns with Scotland in Round Four of the 2018 NatWest 6 Nations but the elements have still tried their best to hamper Joe Schmidt’s squad this week.
With the icy grip of the Beast from the East still being felt in County Kildare, the Ireland squad were on Monday forced to move training from their Carton House base to the National Sports Campus is Abbotstown.
Click here for the complete 2018 NatWest 6 Nations fixture list
However, enough of the snow that had covered the training pitch in Maynooth was cleared, allowing Conor Murray and co to return to their usual base on Tuesday.
Being put through your paces in chilly conditions can only be done with proper preparation and scrum-half Murray has lifted the lid on the extra work he has had to give himself the best chance of being at his best at the Aviva Stadium next weekend.
“We all go into the gym before we come out and do our own individual warm-up,” said the 28-year-old.
“For me, it’s usually my glutes and my groin – I use resistance bands and have my own routine to kind of prime you before a warm-up with Jason out on the pitch.
“I think it’s very useful, especially with the weather being so cold. You’ve got to be warm for these days.
“It looks really nice and it’s actually quite warm because it’s obviously starting to melt and stuff, and the sun is out.
“It’s picturesque and we’re just happy to get out onto the pitch.
“The lads who cleared it, the locals and that, did an unbelievable job for us to be able to come out.”
