Wiltshire says Wales' squad are in their best-ever shape

"The three matches will be a compromise - the bottom line is we are aiming to peak at the World Cup," said Wiltshire.

"That could mean a repeat of the poor results in the 2003 build-up, but we have more strength-in-depth now and we also want the confidence from winning.

"Come September, I'm confident that we will have the fittest squad to have left these shores for a World Cup."

In August 2003, a second-string England side trounced a strong Wales line-up 43-9 at the Millennium Stadium.

That was Steve Hansen's team's 11th successive Test defeat, and it is believed that victory over Scotland a week later saved the Kiwi's job.

That allowed him to take Wales to the World Cup, where their conditioning work finally paid off with a run to the quarter-finals and competitive displays against New Zealand and England.

We will have a conditioning match within the squad, but it won't be like the old 'Probable v Possible' trial games Huw Wiltshire

This year, Wales face England at Twickenham on 4 August, their only game before coach Gareth Jenkins cuts his 41-man squad down to the final World Cup 30.

After Twickenham, Jenkins' team face Argentina (18 August) and France (26 August) at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, but squads must be submitted by 14 August.

Wales had also planned to stage a game with a French second division club when they head to La Baule for a week-long training camp, starting on 21 July.

But International Rugby Board rules state that no friendlies can be played in France before August.

"That wasn't the end of the world," Wiltshire told BBC Sport Wales.

"We can cater for it in-house by having a conditioning game within the squad, offering plenty of contact and physical demands.

"That won't be like the old 'Probable v Possible' trial games - it's far more scientific and structured.

"The games in the build-up are going to be crucial to marry-up the fitness and technical sides."

The opening World Cup match will be against Canada on 9 September at the La Beaujoire Stadium, Nantes, with Wales' tournament base at the nearby holiday resort of La Baule.