Plastic Pitches v Grass Pitches

[ellis9]

Injuries may be some people's reasons for not liking plastic pitches but it isn't mine. My one and only reason is that everyone should play on the same surface and in my opinion, that surface should be grass.

[AngusMcCoatup]

This is not a new criteria, I remember 40 years ago playing on my then girlfriends parents Cyril Lord "Enkalon!" lounge carpet and she suffered abrasions & burns.
We never had that problem in the nearby grassy meadows.

[DeadlyDunc]

A fairly valid point raised consistently in the course of this argument is that whilst it’s all well and good saying that every pitch should be natural grass so no team has a unfair advantage playing on artificial, the playing characteristics between say a pristine Twickenham and the Tigers pitch before the recent hybrid install would be far greater and cause a greater risk of injury than the difference between artificial and natural.

The point is that you can’t create 12 pitches all performing exactly the same in natural turf because of the differences in each ground/stadium.

In fact, the only way to create 12 pitches exactly the same to ensure there is no benefit would be to make them all artificial and installed with the same system of turf, shockpad and base, built to the same strict tolerances and specifications.

The reality is that no body (including myself who works in the synthetic turf industry) wants that and the difference in say playing on the mud at the Rec to playing on a good hybrid at Welford Road is part of why we love the game.

[ellis9]

A fairly valid point raised consistently in the course of this argument is that whilst it’s all well and good saying that every pitch should be natural grass so no team has a unfair advantage playing on artificial, the playing characteristics between say a pristine Twickenham and the Tigers pitch before the recent hybrid install would be far greater and cause a greater risk of injury than the difference between artificial and natural.

The point is that you can’t create 12 pitches all performing exactly the same in natural turf because of the differences in each ground/stadium.

In fact, the only way to create 12 pitches exactly the same to ensure there is no benefit would be to make them all artificial and installed with the same system of turf, shockpad and base, built to the same strict tolerances and specifications.

The reality is that no body (including myself who works in the synthetic turf industry) wants that and the difference in say playing on the mud at the Rec to playing on a good hybrid at Welford Road is part of why we love the game.

Rubbish! If the remaining 9 clubs all wanted to purchase these plastic pitches, there's no way the companies would decline and say they don't want all pitches to be the same!

Also, if people don't want all pitches to be the same, why have Premiership Rugby allowed 1/4 of the league to have the same pitch?! Surely making all clubs have grass pitches makes each one different?! Which is exactly what people want according to you!

[DeadlyDunc]

Yes you are right, commercially any business would want 12 pitches if it was offered.

What I meant was that no one is pushing an “every club should play on an artificial pitch” agenda.

Not quite sure what you mean with 1/4 having the same pitch - if you mean the artificial pitches are all the same they aren’t, for example the Worcester artificial pitch uses a different system and surface to the Saracens one and plays differently as a result

[ellis9]

Yes you are right, commercially any business would want 12 pitches if it was offered.

What I meant was that no one is pushing an “every club should play on an artificial pitch” agenda.

Not quite sure what you mean with 1/4 having the same pitch - if you mean the artificial pitches are all the same they aren’t, for example the Worcester artificial pitch uses a different system and surface to the Saracens one and plays differently as a result

Of course not everyone is pushing for all 12 teams to play on a plastic pitch! Why the hell would they?!

[DeadlyDunc]

I give up

[ourla]

I give up

Many have Dunc, many have....

[ellis9]

I can't help it if I have strong opinions which I'm willing to back up and state my case.

[ourla]

I can't help it if I have strong opinions which I'm willing to back up and state my case.

But you can help by not stating your "opinions" as being "obvious".

You could also perhaps take on board the arguments others put forward and consider they may have a point.

You could also not bring one of your pet issues into every thread you contribute to - especially when nothing is likely to change in that regard. I'm afraid the kick off times, plastic pitches and Owen Farrell debates are done. Let's move on.

[ellis9]

How can I not discuss plastic pitches on a plastic pitch thread?!

[ourla]

How can I not discuss plastic pitches on a plastic pitch thread?!

Nobody said you couldn't or shouldn't. Read what was written.

[Tiger93]

Gareth Owen out for the rest of the season. Another victim of that pathetic excuse of a top flight Rugby pitch at Allianz?

[Tigerbeat]

Gareth Owen out for the rest of the season. Another victim of that pathetic excuse of a top flight Rugby pitch at Allianz?

Not sure that this was caused by the pitch.

[ourla]

Gareth Owen out for the rest of the season. Another victim of that pathetic excuse of a top flight Rugby pitch at Allianz?

Yeah because Owen has never had injuries before right and no rugby player put their shoulder out on a non-plastic pitch. Strewth.