Middlesbrough and England football star Stewart Downing has admitted he has been blown away by the intensity of Ulster’s conditioning sessions during Matt Williams’ squad’s warm-weather training camp in Portugal.

Ulster are currently training at the Browns Sport and Leisure complex, where they have been sharing facilities with Gareth Southgate’s Boro squad, who are taking part in the Algarve Challenge Cup with Celtic, Cardiff City and Vitoria Guimaraes.

And Downing, who has won 18 caps for England, was impressed as the Middlesborough players watched Ulster’s fitness coach Phil Morrow put the players through their paces in the searing Iberian heat.

“I thought I was fit until I saw them,” said Downing of the Ulster squad.

Meanwhile, his manager Gareth Southgate and Ulster coach Matt Williams swapped ideas and methods, with the football team seemingly learning much from Ulster.

Southgate instructed his squad to arrive early to their training sessions to monitor how Ulster go about their schedules.

“We have changed the emphasis of how we work,” said Southgate. “They are a young group who need pushing more. They are open to new ideas and we want to involve them in what we are doing.

“There’s a willingness amongst them and when they came to watch the rugby lads train it took them on to a new level. It helped them to see the discipline that is needed in training and the camaraderie of the group.

“We said we were quite happy for the rugby lads to stay out there to train while we watched.

“It’s good to see how other sports work. The Ulster lads would have been impressed too when a few of them came back to watch us. The intensity is something we would like.”

Ulster flanker Kieron Dawson revealed Middlesbrough's presence in the Algarve has been a big treat to fan Rory Best, whose mother hails from the city.

“They watched some of our training yesterday then a few of us had a bit of a chat with them,” said Dawson

“Rory’s mum is from Middlesbrough so they are his team and he behaved like a kid in the candy store – sorry, a fat kid in the candy store!

“We have what we need to facilitate a great weeks training, the resort is top class for training, nutritionally things are great and the post training recovery sessions are excellent. Training facilities are perfect and there are no distractions like a wife, children and Playstations.”

Dawson said the new players like Clinton Schifscofske, Robbie Diack, Ed Donoghue and Cillian Willis were bonding well with the squad.

“I think Matt’s recruiting process to interview each player to ensure they would fit into the squad was a great idea and has really helped,” added Dawson.

“We are having an initiation for the new members of the squad towards the end of the week, so by then they will be full members of the squad.

“We have a fantastic squad of players with the experience and I have been very impressed with the Academy players who have been training with us as well as the new arrivals.

“ I feel that we are in a position to have at least two players that can step in and fill any position very well, this means players who need a rest can be rested and also means that when a player starts a game you have to begin at a high level or you will lose your place.

“There is a much more collective spirit and determination to right the wrongs of last season and a camp like this one is invaluable in building team spirit going forward.”