IT’S OH, SO quiet on the rugby front these days as we sit patiently between the end of one of the longest seasons ever and the beginning of a new campaign.

Behind the doors of the provincial gyms in Galway, Dublin, Belfast and Limerick though, it’s as busy as ever. The wheels are in motion, the tin is being pushed and the cones are laid out on the field to get players into shape for the 2016/17 season.

Some of the provinces have given us a window into their efforts, none more so than Munster who have sent a camera crew to do a weekly check-in with their strength and conditioning team (see these and a few more nice vids on their YouTube channel here).

Today, their clip features senior S&C coach Aidan O’Connell who talks us through week three of pre-season which entails (at last!) some rugby out in the open and some light wave-hopping at the beach – but not before some heavy lifting to keep the power and weight on their frame.

Source: Munster Rugby/YouTube

In case you missed the first two installments, week one was all about testing and setting baselines. The dreaded calipers came out to measure body fat and there were tests for hip mobility and questions to fit the Head Injury Assessments that will inevitably come at some point in the season.