The average severity for match injuries on grass was 32 days, compared with 37 days for artificial turf.Īs stated in the official report: “The overall burden of injuries on natural grass was 2,481 per 1,000 days compared with 4,740 per 1,000 days on artificial turf, a staggering difference.” With just three pitches the exposure to plastic was less, but returned injury rates of 129.1 per 1,000 hours compared to the grass rate of 89.6 per 1,000 hours, the total hours representing 25 matches. It said that for that season 608 injuries were recorded on grass, 170 on artificial surfaces. The RFU crunched the numbers on grass and synthetic pitches in Premiership rugby, and came up with a report after the 2016-17 season. It also begs the question why, from a player-welfare perspective, are they becoming more rather than less common. But the most recent Premiership study bears out the belief that plastic pitches are more dangerous and cause more injuries than grass.
The injuries may be perceived to be part of the game of rugby, tough luck and coincidental. Dan Leavy, Josh van der Flier and Sean O’Brien can testify to that without a study. Joe Tomane, Ciaran Frawley and Will Connors all picked up injuries, Connors supporting the recently published Irish Rugby Injury Surveillance Report into amateur rugby that openside flankers represent, at 11 per cent, the most injured players of any position. Leinster played against Newcastle on the surface prior to travelling to Cardiff Blues for their first Pro14 match of this season. Under-20 Six Nations matches and women’s Six Nations matches are also played in Donnybrook. Gloucester intended joining them this season, but after taking advice from their players, the club is spending on a surface that will be a hybrid of grass and artificial grass fibres. The Premiership now has three clubs who use the artificial surface, Saracens, Newcastle and Worcester. The following day Wasps flanker Jack Willis, who had just been called into the England squad, ruptured ligaments in his right knee on Saracens’ artificial pitch. Munster’s first match on the surface arrived two months after Scarlets backrow John Barclay ruptured an Achilles’ tendon at Scotstoun, and fullback Johnny McNicholl called for artificial pitches to be outlawed. Munster followed trends at Glasgow Warriors and Cardiff Blues, who both play home games on the synthetic surface, while Leinster have played competitively on their plastic in Donnybrook. In August, Munster’s new 4G pitch surface at Musgrave Park was laid, the conversion from natural grass to plastic complete and ready for the visits of London Irish and Exeter Chiefs for two pre-season friendly matches.
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