Munster get a head start at La Manga Club

Munster Rugby Club have ensured they'll be in top condition for the upcoming season with a warm-weather training camp at La Manga Club.

More than 40 players from the European rugby powerhouse spent a week at the five-star resort along with coaches, fitness and medical staff before returning to Ireland to face Leicester Tigers in their first pre-season friendly.

The week-long break will give the team the perfect start to the campaign, allowing them to undergo some warm-weather training on first-class facilities and to focus on preparation for the season ahead.

It will also give the ideal opportunity for some team bonding with three championship golf courses and one of Europe's leading tennis centres among the facilities the players had on hand.

Munster coach Tony McGahan said: "The La Manga Club complex and facilities were top class and equalled only by the service provided by a thoroughly professional and efficient staff.

"The resort provided us with the ideal environment in which to prepare for the season ahead and I would have no hesitation in recommending it to other sports groups."

La Manga Club boasts the best facilities in southern Europe for professional sports teams, with eight international-standard grass pitches and a host of other amenities including the five-star Hotel La Manga Club Principe Felipe.

More than 30 professional and international football teams visited the resort in the first three months of this year alone, and Liverpool, West Bromich Albion, Middlesbrough, Sheffield United and Celtic are among the clubs to have staged training camps in the last year.

For more information on La Manga Club or to book a stay, visit: lamangaclub.com