Wales training at 40C heat in Doha to prepare for Rugby World Cup

Wales' players have been training in temperatures topping 40 degrees celsius out in Doha, as they prepare for the Rugby World Cup.

Sam Warburton, George North and co. are spending ten days at their warm weather training camp in Qatar.

It follows 15 days at altitude in the Swiss Alps at the start of July.

Watch: Wales Rugby Squad training in Switzerland

Read More: The reasons behind Gatland's trip to Switzerland

Out in Doha, training is combined with players sleeping in hypoxic chambers that can replicate up to 4500m above sea level.

The Welsh Rugby Union says the combination of heat and altitude will also improve the players' performance in the cool, when they return to the UK for the World Cup.

Here's what the WRU and the players have been tweeting about their Doha trip:

The WRU says that training in extreme heat and sleeping at altitude will encourage the players' bodies to produce more red blood cells and increase hemoglobin mass.

Therefore, when they return to the UK, they will be fitter and able to train for longer.

After their last few days in Qatar, the Wales squad will return to the UK, to prepare for their first warm-up match against Ireland in Cardiff on 8 August.

They will then spend three days training at Parc Eirias in Colwyn Bay.

Warren Gatland's men were then due to return to their regular base in Spala, Poland, for a final training camp.

That has now been cancelled though, after they decided the squad were ahead of schedule on physical preparation.

Instead, they will base themselves at the Vale Resort in the Vale of Glamorgan, with access to another altitude chamber, cryotherapy unit and indoor pitch which can be heated to 40C.

With the Rugby World Cup now less than two months away, the focus remains on getting the players into peak physical condition.

Follow Wales' preparations for the World Cup on our website

Find out how ITV will be covering the 2015 Rugby World Cup here