England rugby union head coach Stuart Lancaster and captain Chris Robshaw have hailed St. George’s Park’s training facilities.

The team trained at the national football centre for four days this week ahead of the inaugural QBE Internationals at Twickenham before returning to their usual training base, Pennyhill Park.

During their time in Burton, the Aztec pitch was specially adapted to the ensure that it would meet a very different set of demands to those placed on it by football.

Head Groundsman Alan Ferguson and his team worked tirelessly to prepare and maintain the playing surface ahead of each training session.

And it would appear that it was a job well done as, speaking shortly before the team’s departure, Robshaw commended the quality of the pitch.

He said: “The pitch has been brilliant and withheld everything we have done on it.

“We have been out there in the rain and scrummaging on the pitch and it has managed to handle it fine. It has been a great surface to train on.”

The team had full use of the centre throughout the week, and for Lancaster the convenience of having a multitude of elite performance facilities as well as first class hospitality services all on one site proved a major benefit to his preparations.

He said: “It has taken all the aggravation out of it.

“You go to your hotel room, get up in the morning, get your breakfast, you can go and use the hydrotherapy and before you know it you are on with the training session.

“All that logistical transporting and movement around is done, so within a couple of hundred yards you have everything covered so it is a huge benefit for us.”

Lancaster also revealed that, with such a wide array of training, rehabilitation and performance facilities at his disposal, he made sure his players took full advantage of almost everything on offer.

He added: “We have used almost everything.

“The boys came in on Saturday and Sunday having played big Premiership games, so a lot of time was spent in the hydrotherapy pool as well as the rehab gym.

“They also had two or three weights sessions while being here.

“So we have used that, we have used the sports hall where we did some hand-eye coordination drills and we used the pitches.

“I think the only thing we haven’t used has been the indoor 3G pitch.”

Lancaster’s compliments were added to by his captain, who admitted that St. George’s Park was perfectly designed to maximise any athlete’s potential. 

Robshaw said: “A facility like this, where everything is immaculate, the pitches are incredible, the gym, the sports hall, the hotel and the catering, it is a great place to train and you feel you can really get the best out of yourself.”

So it would seem that expectations were firmly met, even if for some of the players the centre retained a couple of unexpected surprises up its sleeve.

Robshaw added: “I saw St. George’s Park in the papers when Prince William and Kate came round and everyone was there in the Jacuzzi and hydro pools.

“Little do you know that one of them is freezing!”

For more from Stuart Lancaster and Chris Robshaw, check out our video at the top of the page.