Gloucesters pitch....

[fentiger]

...going plastic: https://www.gloucesterrugby.co.uk/new-training-ground

[kpj tiger]

...going plastic: https://www.gloucesterrugby.co.uk/new-training-ground

An interesting move to take your training facility to the middle of a city and have it completely indoors, certainly looks flash on the renders!

[Wayne Richardson Fan Club]

I wonder how long before the entire league is played on these dreadful things.

[sam16111986]

I wonder how long before the entire league is played on these dreadful things.

The synthetic surfaces have come a long way from the days of friction burns, no give so it feels like landing on concrete and knee snapping for those who get their studs caught.

I played on one a few years ago after a week of rain when our pitch was unplayable. It was fantastic, like playing on grass without the mud. I'm not sure how that one differentiates from the ones Glaws are using but as someone with dodgy knees it was better than playing on a bog. I suspect the pro level ones are another step up again.

[kk20gb30]

Something of a traditionalist , but can only wait and see how it plays...

[RagingBull]

Will help Tigers potentially get more International type games though.

[ourla]

Mixed feelings on the Gloucester forum

http://www.rugb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=12342

I can see how it makes sense for them commercially but I'd like to think the likes of us and Saints will stick with what we've got.

[Noggs]

Our hybrid pitch seems to hold up pretty well and I too think the game should be played on grass. That said it is too late to but the genie back in the bottle.

[BengalTiger]

The injury on Sat to AJ MacGinty seemed at the time, caused from his studs catching in the pitch, I know the Chiefs use a hybrid pitch, is there cause and effect, or just an accident?

[westwinds31]

Didn’t Glaws just spend a fortune on their existing pitch quite recently ?!

[fentiger]

Didn’t Glaws just spend a fortune on their existing pitch quite recently ?!

I believe so, think it's currently a hybrid?

[Tigers86asw]

I wonder how long before the entire league is played on these dreadful things.

The synthetic surfaces have come a long way from the days of friction burns, no give so it feels like landing on concrete and knee snapping for those who get their studs caught.

I played on one a few years ago after a week of rain when our pitch was unplayable. It was fantastic, like playing on grass without the mud. I'm not sure how that one differentiates from the ones Glaws are using but as someone with dodgy knees it was better than playing on a bog. I suspect the pro level ones are another step up again.

Played on one at Shelford and it was excellent but tough on the joints. It’s just not the same. Grass all day for me.

[Hot_Charlie]

I wonder how long before the entire league is played on these dreadful things.

The synthetic surfaces have come a long way from the days of friction burns, no give so it feels like landing on concrete and knee snapping for those who get their studs caught.

I played on one a few years ago after a week of rain when our pitch was unplayable. It was fantastic, like playing on grass without the mud. I'm not sure how that one differentiates from the ones Glaws are using but as someone with dodgy knees it was better than playing on a bog. I suspect the pro level ones are another step up again.

Played on one at Shelford and it was excellent but tough on the joints. It’s just not the same. Grass all day for me.

Tigers’ had a few nasty knee injuries on them in the couple of years after they first appeared; Owen Williams and Ed Slater amongst them IIRC.

[Hot_Charlie]

The injury on Sat to AJ MacGinty seemed at the time, caused from his studs catching in the pitch, I know the Chiefs use a hybrid pitch, is there cause and effect, or just an accident?

I’d suspect just an accident. Hybrid pitches still use a fairly sandy but natural subsoil, and the artificial fibres only make up 5-10% of the playing surface “grass” content.

[westwinds31]

The Kingston Park pitch you end up with lots of black bits embedded into various limbs !