Sarries artificial pitch

[Pam.B]

From my brother:

"All the Premiership clubs have had a chance today to look at our artificial pitch today, I also noticed a Cardiff Blues shirt in there."

http://www.saracens.com/sarriestv/?Id=940

[fleabane]

Also this from ESPN:

http://tinyurl.com/b8npck8

[WhitecapTiger]

Also this from ESPN:

http://tinyurl.com/b8npck8

Fair play to them, can't really judge until a full season has been completed on it IMO.

However, I much prefer the unpredictability in matches that is brought on by the weather and ground combination in the winter.

Tigers Vs Toulouse on sunday for example

[DickyP]

Also this from ESPN:

http://tinyurl.com/b8npck8

Fair play to them, can't really judge until a full season has been completed on it IMO.

However, I much prefer the unpredictability in matches that is brought on by the weather and ground combination in the winter.

Tigers Vs Toulouse on sunday for example

yet again more 'improvements' that merely make the game more one-dimensional: should suit Sarries metronome approach down to the ground. Adjusting to the conditions is one of the great secrets of success. Last Saturday may have had us all with heart attacks and freezing but it was a fantastic, exciting, true contest of the sort that only only winter rugby in poor conditions produce.

I'm just waiting to see how long it'll be, if the usage becomes more common, before we have gimmicks such pink turf at Stade Francais, or red turf at Copthall akin to the "smurf-turf' blue artificial surface for the Olympic hockey.

[jgriffin]

My concern is that there may be an 'Oldham' effect - it gives a considerable home advantage that playing there once a year doesn't compensate for.
Rugby is, and will remain, a game for all weathers played in the open air. Thus the mud and the rain should always remain.
However, as topflight rugby becomes a business and brand image becomes all, clearly some suits think this kind of development is a good idea.

As for the rest of us, rugby remains a game for all shapes, sizes, orientations, genders and genes played in the open air.
Huzza!

[CitizenSmiff]

Maybe if Sarries spent more time talking about the actual sport of rugby rather than nano-fiber technology and other such minutia their new stadium would require more than 10,000 seats. I'm interested to see what happens with the new pitch but I'm not holding out much hope for "a faster, safer and more entertaining game of rugby" from that bunch of dullards.

[kpb]

Wonder how the pitch held out today?

Their was a huge crowd of 3,726 to witness the 'Grand Opening'!!

[fleabane]

Wow!

[sapajo]

Wonder how the pitch held out today?

Their was a huge crowd of 3,726 to witness the 'Grand Opening'!!

Their squeelionnaire owner must feel truly vindicated

[divingrob]

Today's game was a test event for the new stadium and was restricted to a lower capacity.

Still not a bad turnout for Saracens though

[Smurphswillgetya]

Lead to a faster more entertaining game? Score was 19-11 with one try each. Enough said.

[GS]

Be fair Smurphs, that's 2 more than they expect to see.

[Smurphswillgetya]

Be fair Smurphs, that's 2 more than they expect to see.

Perhaps I was being a tad harsh

[TigerLad]

I don't like this artificial pitch idea. In some senses I prefer a 9-6 battle in the mud to a 31-29 try fest in the summer. In some ways I like try fests aswell but that is one of the best things about rugby. That for half the season you play in a mud bath and the other you play on nice firm pitches. It's called variation. Saffas will lose this with their new pitch. We'll see how they deal with the shock of a muddy pitch when they come to WR. I also don't get what they are doing with the stadium. The seats look they are not finished and they have gone for an open stadium unlike WR or kingsholm which is a strange decision as they lacked atmosphere at Vicarage road which was a fairly enclosed stadium. I think they will struggle to get an atmosphere at their new stadium. I am so glad we have Welford Road! Best stadium in the UK, actually, no the world.