Manly Sea Eagles are bracing themselves for the freezing weather as they prepare to meet Leeds at a frozen Headingley in the World Club Challenge.
The Sea Eagles will fly out from Sydney on Friday , where the temperature is expected to be above 20 degrees, and landing in England as Europe is gripped by an intense cold snap.
The minimum temperature in Leeds this week is due to be around minus eight and Sea Eagles coach Geoff Toovey acknowledges acclimatising fully will be near impossible before the February 17 clash at Headingley.
He said: "The fields are frozen over there and the snow's coming down from what we can tell.
"The conditions here this summer haven't been great and we've trained on wet and boggy fields but obviously nothing to that extent.
"There is nothing you can really do to combat weather like that but we'll have a few days to get used to it.
"The cold will be a challenge for any Australian side and it'll be interesting to see how we handle it.
"We'll just get on with it, put up with it and put on a good performance."
Manly have recent experience to draw on, however, as they head into their second WCC in three years. In 2009 the Sea Eagles beat Leeds 28-20 to end a five-year barren run by Australian clubs.
"They (Leeds) are very similar to the team we played three years ago," Toovey added.
"We know what they are about. They are a big, mobile side with a lot of skill on the edges.
"They are going to be tough to beat, particularly in those conditions."
Unlike three years ago, the Sea Eagles will spend just over a week in England and play no lead-up game before the WCC.
The Eagle's coach said: "We've got a job to do and we want to come back with that trophy.
"It's also a reward for them for last year and a bit of a bonding exercise and we want to show people out there that we were the Premiership team last year and we're going to give it a good crack to go back-to-back.
"We've got a team good enough to be up there again this year."
Manly lost 38-6 to Cronulla in a warm-up on Friday night but were without several key players. The squad to take on Leeds contains 14 players from last year's grand final-winning side.
Manly squad: Brett Stewart, David Williams, Jamie Lyon, Steve Matai, Michael Oldfield, Kieran Foran, Daly Cherry-Evans, Brent Kite, Matt Ballin, Jason King, Tony Williams, Glenn Stewart, Anthony Watmough, Jamie Buhrer, Vic Mauro, Darcy Lussick, George Rose, Joe Galuvao, Ben Farrar, Dean Whare.
They are going to be tough to beat, particularly in those conditions.Geoff Toovey
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