The Wallabies will set foot on French soil for the first time in the lead up to the World Cup confident their Portuguese sojourn has them primed for the tournament.

Vice-captain Phil Waugh admitted the Wallabies had somewhat struggled for motivation while preparing in Australia in recent weeks, but believes the five-day training camp in Vilamoura has the Wallabies now firmly focussed on the Cup and their opening game against Japan in Lyon on September 8.

"We actually feel we're about to play a game, whereas at home we often felt a long way away from the action," Waugh said.

"So it's been good to get over here to Europe and really feel that the tournament is not far away now.

"In that sense it's been great, I think the camp's been very important for our preparations."

The camp included twice-a-day training sessions for the bulk of the 30-man Wallabies squad, with prop Guy Shepherdson (knee) and back Berrick Barnes (groin) the only regular absentees. Adam Ashley-Cooper also struggled with a groin concern late in the camp.

"It's been well balanced, we haven't overdone it, but we've got through what we needed to get through and we'll be prepared when we get to Montpellier later in the week for the first game against Japan," Waugh said.

"There would have been about six weeks between the last Tri-Nations game and the World Cup ... obviously games are different to training but we believe we've done enough work on the training paddock.

"Game fitness and things will come when we get out there to play a game, but as we've always said it's about peaking at the right time of the tournament."

After a final weights session in Vilamoura, the squad departs for Paris at 11pm AEST (2pm local), where they will spend the next two days resting and attending various functions - including a visit to the historical World War I town of Villers-Bretonneux.

Their next training session won't likely be until late Friday after arriving in Montpellier.

After the intense media glare of the final few weeks training in Australia, backrower Stephen Hoiles said Portugal had been something of a welcome relief for the players.

"It's been great, to be honest, to get away from all the garbage that was going on back home," Hoiles said.

"We've been working hard over here, but also enjoying each others company.

"Everyone is in a great frame of mind. There's been no distractions."

The team viewed a tape of Wales' recent heavy loss to France on Tuesday, but Waugh said the Wallabies were expecting a far improved Welsh performance when the two group rivals clash in Cardiff on September 15.

"Everything for them will be about preparing for that game, so they'll be very focussed and much better than what they were against the French," Waugh said.

"So whilst we can take a lot out of the game tactically, I think it will be pretty insignificant in terms of the when we face them on the 15th of September."

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