Playing surfaces and safety of players

[liquor box]

I am getting pretty concerned about the conditions of the Rebels home ground.

It has been pretty bad all season and to be honest I think it is becoming a safety risk.

Last night the rebels scored a try and the Canes player (from memory no.11??) turned and got stuck in a sand divot and was slowed down. I dont know if this is why the try was scored but it was a lucky break for the canes that it was not a broken ankle.

According to the Laws of the game
1.1 (a) The surface must be safe to play on at all times
1.6 (a) If either team has objections about the ground or the way it is marked out they must tell the referee before the match starts.
1.6 (b) The referee will attempt to resolve the issues but must not start a match if any part of the ground is considered to be dangerous.


So I take it that unless an objection is made prior to play then a game cannot be called off? I think the surface during a scrum is poor and assume that during the warm up that there are no scrums practiced on the playing surface as this would make the ground unsafe prior to play. I don't think this situation is good enough in a professional game and needs to be resolved. Serious consideration needs to be made to moving the Test Match, the ground will be destroyed by Test scrums.

 

[Scrubber2050]

or bring out a 8 metre scrummaging mat

 

[mst]

Play bare foot. Both teams will just have to write the boot sponsors name on their feet!

 

[liquor box]

get the Hoff to sing the baywatch theme as the scrum is packing and the beach appears.

It is a shame that is has become a laughing stock

 

[Ozee316]

I remember a Bledisloe at Etihad Stadium (formerly Telstra Dome) in Melbourne years back where they had the same problem. Pitches prepared for AFL? Wrong groundsmen?

 

[TOCC]

AAMI field is rubbish, they need to sort that shit out before the Wallabies play there or risk losing future test matches


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[liquor box]

AAMI field is rubbish, they need to sort that shit out before the Wallabies play there or risk losing future test matches


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

QLD government should try to steal the test this season rather than trying to get an NRL final.

Test matches bring more tourism dollars to a state and Lang park would sell out

 

[RebelYell]

Chief executive of the RUPA Ross Xenos said something has to give.​

“Whilst no one has sinister views towards the Olympic Park Trust and we can sympathise that they’re a multi-sport venue, player welfare has to come first,” Xenos said.​

Full article: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/f...l/news-story/15f8d6279f0f2c8ca6fad2a6a345fd38​

 

[Inside Shoulder]

The problem seems to lie in using so much sand to facilitate drainage that the grass wont set deep roots - but that's from someone who know very little about growing anything

 

[TOCC]

There was another article which mentioned their had been a disease in the grass which is impacting on the quality of the surface, and that the area where the grass is currently getting ripped up is the end of the field where they set up the stages for converts and that could be related to the issue.

In either case, the issue has been apparent for a couple of months and needs to be sorted out.

 

[Highlander35]

Might need some Garlic. That's how Murrayfield did it anyway.

 

[USARugger]

Might need some Garlic. That's how Murrayfield did it anyway.

Before replacing the entire pitch anyway

Damn nematodes..

 

[Quick Hands]

The problem seems to lie in using so much sand to facilitate drainage that the grass wont set deep roots - but that's from someone who know very little about growing anything

Some evidence to support this comes from the Sports Turf Institute.

4.1 Expectations from a soil –based sports field The majority of sports fields in Australia have been built using local soil materials, largely clay loams or silt loams. Many have been amended in recent times by the topdressing of a more sandy material, and sometimes organic material. Performance of soil-based constructions varies greatly, depending on a range of factors and in particular the soil texture and structure. Generally a soil-based sports field will perform satisfactorily under the right climatic conditions (dryish), and a well-constructed soil-based field could even out-perform higher cost options in some environments. The main limitation of the standard soil-based system is the inability to handle use in wet conditions. There is also a greater potential for the surface to get overly hard under dry conditions.

4.4 Sand or soil as a root zone? The bulk of our major sports fields are built out of sand. The primary reason for this is drainage, and the reduced risk that a sand-based system will become waterlogged and unplayable. But sand systems are not for everyone. Converting to a sand profile will not only be a major capital investment, but will also increase on-going maintenance cost and challenge.


http://www.parksleisure.com.au/documents/item/1082

 

[Braveheart81]

The problem seems to lie in using so much sand to facilitate drainage that the grass wont set deep roots - but that's from someone who know very little about growing anything

It does seem like the grounds that rugby are played on need to shift the soil mix to something slightly less sandy so a better root system can develop.

Outside of scrums it doesn't really seem like there is the level of pressure applied that causes the sort of damage we have seen at AAMI Park (and elsewhere) so it doesn't seem like it will be an issue for soccer or league.

 

[TOCC]

Suncorp Stadium pitch seemed to struggle during the 10s, and that was only with 10man scrums and 6 man mauls.. It was pretty average at times in 2016, doesn't seem like anything has improved, maybe even worsened.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Highlander35]

Copying it over from the Rugby Post 2019 Thread

Something else to be considered is the 3G, 4G and hybrid artificial pitches that are becoming more and more common in the NH.

I've only noticed it myself in the last two seasons, mostly due to Glasgow announcing their own plans, but they've been resulting in general in pitches that produce stable scrums and slick passing in all sorts of weather.

I'd not be surprised if WR (World Rugby) policy in 5-10 years was that any ground re-turfed after a certain point must be some sort of hybrid or artificial pitch to be eligible to host Tier 1 Tests and Sevens Series events.l

 

[Strewthcobber]

Do the hybrid systems still have the surface temperature issues on hot days?

Going to be an issue in Australia as a lot of stadiums are used year round (as we've just seen!)

 

[TOCC]

How does it work with field markings?




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Many stadiums are hybrid already:
forsyth Barr
Twickenham
Principality Stadium

The last one looked pretty bad on the weekend

My understanding is that there is 1 artificial filament for every 10 natural.
Something artificial is being put down at Woollahra Oval I understand - should be almost finished: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...b/news-story/ebaa5fd12cbd1dd840a7bf1e9c7d7065

 

[Highlander35]

At least:

Cardiff Arms Park (Blues)
Allianz Park (Saracens)
Kingston Park (Falcons)
Scotstoun (Glasgow Warriors)
Charles Mathon (Oyannax)

Have fully artificial turf.

http://playerwelfare.worldrugby.org/?documentid=155

In the "document" above on World Rugbys website, it does actually recommend artificial turf for extreme heat, albeit based on Grass Growth and multi use facilities.