RUGBY players smashed their way through the pain barrier as they were put through their paces by the best of the British Army.

The Worcester Valkyries showed true grit, punching kicking and shoving their way through intensive, gruelling combat conditioning at Sixways Stadium on Sunday.

The tough session was not for the faint of heart but was a perfect preparation for the 'Military Match Day' when Warriors play the Exeter Chiefs at the stadium on Saturday, February 18.

Urging the women on was paratrooper Matthew O'Connell, a warrant officer and physical training instructor with the Royal Army Fitness Training Corps.

He called out for more aggression from the team in a challenge designed to test the players both physically and mentally. He telling them to punch and kick harder, no easy task considering they were kitted out in body armour.

Their partner, holding the pad, was told not to give an inch and remain solid in the face of the onslaught.

Before the session began he told each of them they had to make their body 'fear for its life' and it was only this that could create adaptions which could give them the edge on the pitch.

As soon as they had finished they were given a two minute written test in which they had to recall information about terrorists read out before the session began.

They were only told afterwards that this was the most important part of the test, designed to show which of them was able to think clearly when their body was fatigued, a useful skill both for soldiers on the battlefield and rugby players in the 79th minute of the game.

Donna Kennedy, director of rugby for the Valkyries, took part in the challenge which involved intensive five and three minute sessions where they had to drop to the floor, punch, kick, shove, lift and carry the weight of their partner with each action corresponding to a number called out by the physical training instructor.

She said: "It was hard, especially with the kit on as well. It weighs about 15kg. Some of it is similar to what we do - the down-up element of it with hard, short, sharp physical activity.

"The mix of the training was very good and very relevant to the sessions we do. The girls dug in. They also played a full game at Lichfield yesterday and a lot of them were feeling tired. I'm proud of them."

Lieutenant Colonel Richard Jones, of 11th Signal and West Midlands Brigade, said: "The Military Match day with Worcester Warriors is designed to show the close relationship between the Warriors and Valkyries and the military in the Midlands.

“We will be there to sign the covenant with the Sixways teams and look forward to an enduring and mutually supportive relationship between the teams here and the military units in Worcester.

“This relationship is not just about the match day but also heralds the start of a long term partnership between the club and the brigade.”