Live

Repeat: Off The Ball

10:00 PM-12:00 AM

Repeat: Off The Ball
Advertisement
Soccer

Meet the Kilkenny native who is helping Wales towards glory at Euro 2016

Wales' performances have been one of the stories of Euro 2016. In their first ever European Champ...



Meet the Kilkenny native who i...
Soccer

Meet the Kilkenny native who is helping Wales towards glory at Euro 2016

Wales' performances have been one of the stories of Euro 2016.

In their first ever European Championships, the team are now just 90 minutes away from the Final. Only Portugal stand in the way of a historic night in the Stade de France on Sunday.

While players like Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey, along with manager Chris Coleman have been widely praised, a Kilkenny man has been working behind the scenes to make sure the team is performing to the best of their capabilities.

Ronan Kavanagh is working with the Wales FA as a Sports Scientist making sure that players like Bale and Ramsey are performing at their physical best throughout the tournament, and given that they haven't struggled with many fitness issues so far, he appears to be doing a good job.

"Every morning, we get (the players) to fill out wellness questionnaires", Kavanagh told Newstalk Breakfast, as he explained the intricate details of his job. "We try and make sure that we cover all the bases. They do saliva tests. Based on that if then if their immune system is up or down, we might hit them with an extra bit of supplementation."

Kavanagh has seen the team record wins over Slovakia, Russia, Northern Ireland and Belgium and he feels Wales have a great chance of beating Portugal later this week.

"We're quite confident. The win against Belgium gives you the confidence that you can go and beat anyone. Belgium are the top ranked European team in the FIFA Rankings at the moment so you think; 'Let's have a go at Portugal'".

If Wales do reach the Final, it will be one of the best underdog stories in international football in recent memory.

Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!

Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.


Read more about

Soccer