Rees-Zammit calls for end to artificial Prem pitches after leg burns at StoneX Stadium

Louis Rees-Zammit has urged an end to artificial pitches in the Premiership after posting a graphic image of friction burns to his right leg sustained during Bristol’s defeat at Saracens’ StoneX Stadium on Saturday. He accompanied the image with the caption: “Can we please stop playing on these AstroTurf pitches!! Someone do something about it!!”

Rees-Zammit’s post followed Bristol’s match at Saracens, where the surface is artificial. The Wales wing revealed the wounds came from running out for the Bears on the StoneX Stadium pitch. Saracens were the first Premiership club to install an artificial surface in 2013; Newcastle and Gloucester followed in 2014 and 2021, and Worcester used one before going into liquidation.

Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam said he left three players out of the match because of concerns over the surface and criticised the pitch after the defeat. Lam named Pedro Rubiolo, AJ MacGinty and Steven Luatua as omissions made “for fear of injury,” adding: “They came off big injuries last year and so it wasn’t worth putting them on that pitch,” Lam said. “If we were playing the game at home or if it was a semi-final, they would have played.”

A number of players have previously voiced concerns about artificial turf, including former England internationals Joe Marler and Jack Nowell. The article notes that Nowell has been omitted from Exeter lineups to avoid the risk of injury on synthetic surfaces.

In 2021 World Rugby permitted players to wear leggings and base layers as a measure to reduce the risk of burns on artificial pitches. Proponents of synthetic surfaces argue they permit greater use in extreme weather conditions.

Saracens hooker Jamie George, speaking ahead of his side’s Champions Cup fixture at Connacht on Saturday, which will be played on an artificial pitch, defended the club’s surface while acknowledging differing views among players. “I think everyone reacts differently to these kinds of pitches. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion in terms of what they think about the pitches. I know the StoneX pitch meets all the rules and regulations. “We make sure that we train on artificial surfaces on the week leading up to playing there at the weekend. Whether there is an advantage in that, whether that means our bodies get more used to it, you’d have to speak to a sports scientist, but I know that is an area of focus for us.”

Jamie George confirmed his team will face Connacht on Saturday on an artificial surface, a fixture the club has been preparing for with training on synthetic pitches during the week.