Plastic Pitches v Grass Pitches

[ellis9]

It doesn't need evidence.

It needs evidence if you are going to ban them.

All 12 clubs are playing in the same league so should play on the same surface.

Leicester have a hybdrid surface not pure grass. Should that be allowed?

Whether that's grass or plastic is up to Premiership Rugby.

Correction, whether teams have to play on the same surface or not is up to Premiership Rugby. They say not.

(Obviously it should be grass). There shouldn't be different surfaces for different clubs.

It's not obvious and the people running the league say otherwise.

When players play tennis at Wimbledon, they all play on grass courts.

When players play The Open, they play the same course.

When athletes run a race at The Olympics, they use the same track.

You get the point.

Sorry chum but no I don't get the point. Wimbledon, the Open and the Olympics are all individual tournaments or events. It is not "a season" and there is no home or away team.

It doesn't need evidence. If Premiership Rugby say they want everyone to play on grass, then that's the rule.

When I say obviously it should be on grass, that's my opinion.

Should hybrid pitches be allowed? If plastic pitches are allowed then most certainly yes. Tigers pitch is a grass pitch with a small percentage of artificial grasses interlinked (as you can see with the pitch now as there are some brown patches on it), so it looks, feels and acts like all grass pitches. Plastic pitches give different outcomes. The ball bounces differently, is different than grass when wet and is a harder surface.

All Premiership, Championship, League One and Two football teams have to play on grass.
Al basketball teams have to play on the same surface.
All cricket teams play on the same surface.

In my opinion, plastic pitches should not be allowed and all teams should have grass pitches. It doesn't need a reason for this rule such as a certain pitch gives more injuries so cannot be used etc. If it was my decision, there would be a rule stating that to be a Premiership Rugby team, you have to have a grass pitch.

[ourla]

It doesn't need evidence. If Premiership Rugby say they want everyone to play on grass, then that's the rule.

But they don't and are unlikely too. And as a quarter of pitches are already AT and as there is no evidence of harm we shouldn't be talking about players having to sit games out. Let's focus on what we can affect and not harp back to the some argument that was lost several years ago. And certainly isn't going to change before Sunday.

When I say obviously it should be on grass, that's my opinion.

So don't say something is "obvious" when it is just your "opinion".

Should hybrid pitches be allowed? If plastic pitches are allowed then most certainly yes. Tigers pitch is a grass pitch with a small percentage of artificial grasses interlinked (as you can see with the pitch now as there are some brown patches on it), so it looks, feels and acts like all grass pitches. Plastic pitches give different outcomes. The ball bounces differently, is different than grass when wet and is a harder surface.

Grass surfaces and hybrid surfaces can differ. By their nature all grass surfaces will harden or soften through the season. Local weather and geology will dictate. Exeter's ground is particularly windy. Newcastle's ground colder. Pitch sizes vary. The space between the pitch and the stands vary. Lot's of things vary. As long as there is a degree of uniformity we're all good. AT is not massively different.

All Premiership, Championship, League One and Two football teams have to play on grass.
Al basketball teams have to play on the same surface.
All cricket teams play on the same surface.

All rugby teams play on the same surface - whether it's real, hybrid, or artificial, it's a grass surface.

In my opinion, plastic pitches should not be allowed and all teams should have grass pitches. It doesn't need a reason for this rule such as a certain pitch gives more injuries so cannot be used etc. If it was my decision, there would be a rule stating that to be a Premiership Rugby team, you have to have a grass pitch.

It's not your decision though is it. Do you want us to discuss it every time we play on such a pitch?

[ellis9]

It doesn't need evidence. If Premiership Rugby say they want everyone to play on grass, then that's the rule.

But they don't and are unlikely too. And as a quarter of pitches are already AT and as there is no evidence of harm we shouldn't be talking about players having to sit games out. Let's focus on what we can affect and not harp back to the some argument that was lost several years ago. And certainly isn't going to change before Sunday.

When I say obviously it should be on grass, that's my opinion.

So don't say something is "obvious" when it is just your "opinion".

Should hybrid pitches be allowed? If plastic pitches are allowed then most certainly yes. Tigers pitch is a grass pitch with a small percentage of artificial grasses interlinked (as you can see with the pitch now as there are some brown patches on it), so it looks, feels and acts like all grass pitches. Plastic pitches give different outcomes. The ball bounces differently, is different than grass when wet and is a harder surface.

Grass surfaces and hybrid surfaces can differ. By their nature all grass surfaces will harden or soften through the season. Local weather and geology will dictate. Exeter's ground is particularly windy. Newcastle's ground colder. Pitch sizes vary. The space between the pitch and the stands vary. Lot's of things vary. As long as there is a degree of uniformity we're all good. AT is not massively different.

All Premiership, Championship, League One and Two football teams have to play on grass.
Al basketball teams have to play on the same surface.
All cricket teams play on the same surface.

All rugby teams play on the same surface - whether it's real, hybrid, or artificial, it's a grass surface.

In my opinion, plastic pitches should not be allowed and all teams should have grass pitches. It doesn't need a reason for this rule such as a certain pitch gives more injuries so cannot be used etc. If it was my decision, there would be a rule stating that to be a Premiership Rugby team, you have to have a grass pitch.

It's not your decision though is it. Do you want us to discuss it every time we play on such a pitch?

You've clearly never been on a 4G pitch! If you had, you'd know it's not a grass surface!

3 Premiership clubs play on a different surface to the other 9.

I can and will bring it up. Others bring up Thomas Waldrom and Freddie Burns regularly so I can discuss pitches when I want.

[wormus]

In December 2017 Gloucester Rugby announced that they were to instal a £1m Hero Hybrid surface pitch based on Tigers playing surface after much consultation and provided by County Turf.
They mentioned referral to the medical staff too so they must be concerned at plastic pitch injuries.
No doubt that the ex Tigers -Slater, Williams, Balmain etc had a positive input too.
http://www.gloucesterrugby.co.uk/news/1 ... o2W2ajFLmY

[Tiger93]

The hybrid pitches are fine as long as they are the Desso grassmaster ones. They're brilliant.

[strawclearer]

In December 2017 Gloucester Rugby announced that they were to instal a £1m Hero Hybrid surface pitch based on Tigers playing surface after much consultation and provided by County Turf.
They mentioned referral to the medical staff too so they must be concerned at plastic pitch injuries.
No doubt that the ex Tigers -Slater, Williams, Balmain etc had a positive input too.
http://www.gloucesterrugby.co.uk/news/1 ... o2W2ajFLmY

Well spotted!

CEO Stephen Vaughan:
"The best Commercial option would have been to opt for an all-weather surface but we have opted for the preferred choice of the playing squad."

Right priority imho.

[johnthegriff]

Ellis quotes all players at Wimbledon playing on the same surface which is true but tennis players playing on the Grand Slam circuit play on different surfaces just as golfers playing the majors play different courses from the perfection of Augusta to the problems of a links course for The Open. I am not fan of plastic pitches but then I never played on one, however the grass pitches I played on varied tremendously from lawn quality to mud heaps depending on the time of year and on one occasion against Melton (I think) we had to clear the cow pats off as best we could before playing as they were between grounds and had accepted an offer from a local farmer. Even in the top level I remember Tigers playing at Saracens on their original ground a public park with dog sh#t on, I bet today's players will be happier with Allianz Park.

[Wayne Richardson Fan Club]

Maybe my view is tainted by the horror pitches in football in the 80's, QPR's was just carpet on concrete.
Maybe the issue is the change in surface, but I am on agreement that the whole league should play on one surface, whatever that may be, my preference would be Natural Grass or Hybrid.
When so much tradition of the game is being thrown away or lost in the professional era, what it's played on should be maintained.
We can't use weather as an excuse, NZ climate is similar to ours & its Grass there, including indoors.
To me it just doesn't look right, part of a lot of sport is adapting to the pitch/surface, if they are all the same it takes that away.
P
With plastic pitches you wouldn't get the Iconic Fran Cotton picture or somehow Ronnie Radfords FA Cup goal wouldn't be right on a pristine pitch.
We are were we are, but imho if there are players who don't like the surface or risk aggravating an injury, they should be let off playing.

[johnthegriff]

If a player is unable to play on 25% of Premiership pitches that will be reflected in his value to the team, ie wages.
Even with grass pitches these days it is unlikely that the Fran Cotton iconic picture will be repeated at the top level.

[ellis9]

Ellis quotes all players at Wimbledon playing on the same surface which is true but tennis players playing on the Grand Slam circuit play on different surfaces just as golfers playing the majors play different courses from the perfection of Augusta to the problems of a links course for The Open. I am not fan of plastic pitches but then I never played on one, however the grass pitches I played on varied tremendously from lawn quality to mud heaps depending on the time of year and on one occasion against Melton (I think) we had to clear the cow pats off as best we could before playing as they were between grounds and had accepted an offer from a local farmer. Even in the top level I remember Tigers playing at Saracens on their original ground a public park with dog sh#t on, I bet today's players will be happier with Allianz Park.

Yes but during each tournament, every player plays on the same surface. Each tennis tournament has one surface. You don't have some players at Wimbledon playing on grass and some playing on clay.

[BFG]

What I find quite amusing about the debate on these pitches is that Leicester played their best game of the season so far away at Newcastle!

[ellis9]

What I find quite amusing about the debate on these pitches is that Leicester played their best game of the season so far away at Newcastle!

That's irrelevant.

[BFG]

What I find quite amusing about the debate on these pitches is that Leicester played their best game of the season so far away at Newcastle!

That's irrelevant.

That include the four points!
Should maybe give Falcons a chance and replay it on grass like they do at Wimbledon, maybe play at the Stadio Olimpico, that's grass, less chance of a knee injury!

[Rugbyflanker]

And ironically Ford had Tait and Smith outside him! ;)

[Spicer]

This is just an excuse for when we play badly or get an injury.
The teams who play on these pitches regularly have not had abnormal amounts of injuries.
A bad workman blames his tools.