Rugby World Cup 2015: French rely on special ice-bath sent from home

France's outside centre Amexandre Dumoulin and tight head prop Nicolas Mas take an ice-bath earlier in the Rugby World Cup tournament. Photo / Getty

Fire and ice - the French are going to extremes before the World Cup quarterfinal against the All Blacks on Sunday.

Reports suggest the French players are using internal disharmony to build themselves into a "rage", and are also being put on ice for what is shaping as an epic showdown against a New Zealand team helped by two days extra rest.

France has six days to recover from their brutal final pool game against Ireland on Monday, while the All Blacks had a scratchy but ultimately big win over Tonga in their last outing on Saturday.

A cryotherapy "ice bath" truck, brought over from France, is parked outside the team's upmarket Celtic Manor resort, Supersport reported. The whole-body ice baths speed the body's recovery although it is a controversial approach which apparently has no widely-accepted scientific basis.

Warren Gatland has led the ice bath way at Wales, initially taking his team to Poland for sessions before the 2011 tournament in New Zealand. A BBC report explained that cryotherapy chambers allow players to train up to three times a day after being subjected to temperatures as low as -160C for a three-minute session. The release of endorphins triggered by the low temperature speeds up their physical recovery, and also enables players to train more easily on some injuries.

But Wales previously denied speculation they use ice baths after every training session, saying the treatment loses its effectiveness if used too often. Wales "celebrated" their mighty pool win over England nearly three weeks ago with a 3am ice bath session at their Glamorgan base.

Scottish players have been pictured standing in plastic rubbish bins, their lower bodies immersed in ice, in preparation for their quarter-final against Australia Twickenham on Monday.

Italian players wearing face masks were photographed by The Guardian in the University of Surrey's cryotherapy chamber before the tournament - they spent the first 30 seconds in a pre-cool chamber at -60 °C before enduring two minutes at -135°C.

Scientists at the English Institute of Sport said the practice can actually limit the growth and strengthening of muscle fibres, and placing ice on injuries might prevent healing, according to a Daily Mail story.