Artificial pitch: Saracens
Saracens have announced that the artificial turf is now being laid at their new home, Allianz Park, ahead of their fixture against Exeter in February.
Saracens will become the first professional rugby union club in the world to play on entirely artificial turf, promoting a faster and safer game, and the first of the four metre-wide strips has now been laid, with both the try line and the dead ball line permanently marked in the perfect surface.
Allianz Park will be officially opened on Saturday, February 16, 2013, when Saracens play an Aviva Premiership match against Exeter Chiefs.
Comments
macte says...
I have played on an artificial turf (of a very new kind) and I must say that it's as playing on a well kept grass pitch. The feeling is the same. Scrums have no problems at all and you don't have to worry anymore about the weather.
Of course the game will be faster and the referees will have to be very fit.
I'm talking about the latest generation of artificial turfs.
Posted 13:28 28th November 2012
usarugger3 says...
as a player in midwest america, i can tell you playing on this stuff as a forward is miserable. The backs might like it.
Posted 23:16 27th November 2012
wigoono says...
Number8 perhaps now you can explain scrummaging on astro turf/ artificial surface. Thank you Nabberuk
Posted 19:27 27th November 2012
expattrussy says...
We play on a lot of artificial surfaces in the US and the game is certainly a lot quicker (compared to my old muddy days in the south east of England). The surfaces here are nowhere near the standard of the Sarries new pitch and the friction burns are minimal, so i expect the Sarries pitch to work well. As for the scrummaging @wigoono, everyone over here wears moulded boots on these surfaces, without any loss of traction, so as alot of players around the world use mouldeds now for firmer surfaces, i don't think it'll be any different for them at Sarries....
Posted 17:48 27th November 2012
nabberuk says...
@number8
You do realise the whole pitch will be AstroTurf...
Posted 17:12 27th November 2012
Number8 says...
Well wigoono, there are no scrums in the in goal area so it should work fine.
Posted 16:20 27th November 2012
wigoono says...
How's that going to work then? especially when it comes to scrummaging.
Posted 15:28 27th November 2012
lardon says...
Ah Exeter the ultimate party poopers..Watch out Sarries..
Posted 13:08 27th November 2012