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Harri81
3rd February 2012, 21:38
What do people make of the I pitch? Seems as if many of the players tonight are getting friction burns on knees, elbows and forearms. I know it's rugby and a contact sport but do we expect players to get 'carpet burns' during a game?

It appears Wakefield will voice their concerns to the Match Commisioner after tonight's game. But surely it's too little too late now.

Sausalito
3rd February 2012, 21:43
It appears it's doing Wakefield no harm, they are thriving on it. :wink:

paulscnthorpe
3rd February 2012, 21:57
The thing is I reckon there'll be equally bad injuries at Leeds tonight in the ice. It certainly makes for better rugby though

Saint_Claire
3rd February 2012, 21:58
My son has played several games on the 3g pitch at LSV which is very similar and every time he has come off with bright red knees and elbows, and often the skin broken in places.

NortonSaint
3rd February 2012, 22:01
It appears it's doing Wakefield no harm, they are thriving on it. :wink:
With help from the Chemics penalty count.

saint_yick
3rd February 2012, 22:05
I think it would be OK to play football on but rugby players spend most their time on the floor so not good, it will be interesting to see if Wakey do complain and see if Widni are made made to replace it

oldun
3rd February 2012, 22:10
I think it would be OK to play football on but rugby players spend most their time on the floor so not good, it will be interesting to see if Wakey do complain and see if Widni are made made to replace it I thought the Rfl had already okd it for the season also I thought the game was fast t/nite in zero c conditions

saint_yick
3rd February 2012, 22:18
I thought the Rfl had already okd it for the season also I thought the game was fast t/nite in zero c conditions

They have but if it causing issues and enough teams complain about it then the RFL may have their hand forced over it, I agree it did help the play today but I wouldn't be happy if I had one of those nasty cuts or grazes that most players were sporting

Talk some sense!
3rd February 2012, 22:59
The concern i'd have is the blood on blood business, the pitch looks as though it will cause most players to bleed during the game and it's just not medically sound for blood to be mixing up like that. Perhaps somebody with more medical knowledge could give an opinion on the matter but i struggle to see how the pitch can be used week in week out.

RedVee Admin
3rd February 2012, 23:01
They need to wear skins.

Talk some sense!
3rd February 2012, 23:03
They need to wear skins.

According to what some said on twitter skins don't stop the grazing but I guess it would stop the blood being passed around...i need to think of a better way to phrase this blood business!

Saint_Claire
3rd February 2012, 23:10
They need to wear skins.

That works to a point. My son always wears a long sleeved thinskin top but it still rubs under it, and if the skin breaks the blood will seep through, and will still be on the pitch, if perhaps in lesser amounts.

RedVee Admin
3rd February 2012, 23:18
Shows how much I know about skins.

What about wet suits? ;)

Paperworkdan
3rd February 2012, 23:22
It will take a few more games and other clubs complaining for it to go under scrutiny. If it is injuring players in the long run it should be taken down. If its just cuts I doubt it will be removed

SaintJ
3rd February 2012, 23:38
Hope Saints wear knee and elbow pads when they go there. Thank goodness it will only be once - for all concerned.:smile:
Be interesting to see how the Widnes team recover from their bi-weekly knee and elbow skinning.

Saint Simon
3rd February 2012, 23:41
Apple have announced that the iPitch 2 will not cause cuts and scrapes




shamelessly stolen from twitter

SaintJ
3rd February 2012, 23:44
Apple have announced that the iPitch 2 will not cause cuts and scrapes




shamelessly stolen from twitter

I like it!!!:wink:

Two Wheeled Saint
3rd February 2012, 23:47
Tonight is going to nothing compared to a dry summers day, at least tonight had a bit of slip on the surface.

Herman
4th February 2012, 00:11
artificial pitches worry me as they used to give so much grip there would be serious injuries. Widnes pitch seemed to play okay. Im sure they will come up with something to prevent the chaffing.

The best part of the pitch was as none of its was stuck to the ball it didnt affect the handling.

Angarak
4th February 2012, 02:51
I'll keep an eye out for Superleague clubs advertising a new job opening for the 2012 season: "Skin Graft Specialist Wanted!"

somerset-saint
4th February 2012, 09:36
What do people make of the I pitch? Seems as if many of the players tonight are getting friction burns on knees, elbows and forearms. I know it's rugby and a contact sport but do we expect players to get 'carpet burns' during a game?

It appears Wakefield will voice their concerns to the Match Commisioner after tonight's game. But surely it's too little too late now.


I have played a few games on a 4G pitch, and we train on 4G, and I have never had a graze or burn, I actually quite like it... and the I pitch is supposed to be an improvement on the 4G

Shaft
4th February 2012, 09:47
Even Widnes players have been moaning on twitter about it

Harri81
4th February 2012, 10:54
I have played a few games on a 4G pitch, and we train on 4G, and I have never had a graze or burn, I actually quite like it... and the I pitch is supposed to be an improvement on the 4G

If that's the case then the I pitch wasn't working properly last night, one Wakefield player tweeted that it was literally the worst pitch he's ever played on and has no skin on his elbows and knees.

Clearly this needs to be looked into by the RFL, maybe the I pitch needs a different pitch inspection when frozen, as in that it becomes more like a carpet when froze.

Sausalito
4th February 2012, 11:11
Should have played on the Brown Edge, then you could moan about grazed elbows & knees. :grin:

wirral saint2
4th February 2012, 13:16
Aside of the grazing and injury aspect of the pitch which is worrying I was looking at the flow of the game and if the game appeared different than on a natural pitch. Alright so on a natural pitch you get different conditions, cold, snow, wet, firm etc. This is all part of the game and teams have had to adapt to the different conditions.

I guess at first everyone on Sky sounded like they wanted this Ipitch to be a success. I started to think that maybe for Saints who play a fast play the ball sort of game and thrive in hot conditions and on a firm pitch this might suit them.

On the plus side the game last night was fast. However, at times things happened that didn't appear quite normal. I noticed in attack players often over running the ball, they moved forward too fast and the ball bounced behind them. Also players found it very difficult to change direction at times. It appeared 'different' to other games.

It must have cost Widnes a fortune for this pitch but it does appear a massive gamble. I doubt if they could afford after a few games to returf their ground. It appeared last night that very few people had any idea what the pitch would play like for a rugby league game. I wonder if soon like the old football experiments in the 1980s (eg Loftus Road, Kenilworth Road, Deepdale and Boundary Park)it will have to be replaced?

stoneislander
4th February 2012, 16:12
the widnes under 20's game has been abandoned at the halton due to a serious leg break to tommy coyle , wonder if the ptch had a part to play? , can see it being banned !

danny_15
4th February 2012, 16:14
Widnes under 20's game has been cancelled after a serious leg break on the i pitch

brook
4th February 2012, 16:19
Unless there is a spate of breaks on the ipitch then you cant say for sure its the fault of the pitch,we have all seen breakages on grass its an unfortunate part of the game but it happens.

Saint_Claire
4th February 2012, 16:42
Richie Mather's knees off his Twitter

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/398630_10150535511306299_639901298_9142093_1775451 601_n.jpg

NortonSaint
4th February 2012, 17:02
Richie Mather's knees off his Twitter

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/398630_10150535511306299_639901298_9142093_1775451 601_n.jpg
There you have it, looks a bit grim.

saintgeorge
4th February 2012, 17:12
Must be off the pitch that - Mathers wouldn't have done it tackling anyone.

NortonSaint
4th February 2012, 17:22
Must be off the pitch that - Mathers wouldn't have done it tackling anyone.
Nice one!

stoneislander
4th February 2012, 17:34
teams will soon be turning up at widnes dressed more like the minnesota vikings than the widnes vikings , sorry but that "pitch" has no place in rl

Glasgowsaint
4th February 2012, 19:44
This clearly looks like a massive problem. Especially for Widnes, you cannot expect players to sustain those kind of injuries every fortnight

Sausalito
4th February 2012, 22:14
Richie Mather's knees off his Twitter

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/398630_10150535511306299_639901298_9142093_1775451 601_n.jpg

Looks like a bit of nappy rash.:whistling:

paulscnthorpe
5th February 2012, 06:36
For balance. Matty ashurst from salford last night

http://img.tapatalk.com/5ac1524b-235b-0859.jpg

Saint_Claire
5th February 2012, 08:38
Goodness, Matty Ashurst has really hairy legs doesn't he?? It looks like we will have to wait and see what happens when the ipitch is played on in average temperature conditions before we can decide properly, though Cast Salford was also extreme, that wasn't snow, it's lumpy icy stuff, much harder than snow.

wardies love child
5th February 2012, 08:53
Lessons to be learned here with those injuries. Infections etc. that match should not have been played and makes a mockery of summer rugby. Would like to know if ref was under pressure to play the game regardless. Stupid question I know. Simple format to decide whether game should be played.
Ice or snow ref says no.

saintgeorge
5th February 2012, 09:03
Is this the latest trend? Photograph your own legs after a game and post it on the www?

rally
5th February 2012, 09:22
the players are turning soft :razz:

bewareshadows
5th February 2012, 10:11
Saints conditioner will need to be aware of this. Skins, leggings, kneepads, what ever is nessasary should be worn if this is going to be a consistent injury problem on the widnes pitch.

There is a difference between being soft and playing on an unsuitable surface.. What if Soliola bounces someone in a tackle and rips their skin open to the bone. There are some big hitters out there in SL who could do some real damage.

Hope it's just a co-incidence, but better to be over protective than to let our players go out and then be out for the next weeks game.

RedVee Admin
5th February 2012, 10:14
rips their skin open to the bone
Slight over reaction there.

bewareshadows
5th February 2012, 10:20
Slight over reaction there.

Knees only have about 2 to 3 mm of skin, a driving tackle from soliola after some initial damage could rip that open further. I've had some pretty bad carpet burns when playing indoor rugby as a lad and that was just from other kids not proffessional players tackling.

shabbashaz
5th February 2012, 13:08
I think the freezing conditions may have played a part and would like to see how it fares in a warmer climate, although it's not good seeing lads cut up like that.

As for the Salford game, the only way that would have been called off was if the surrounding areas were unsafe. We should know by now that games haven't been called off before when they should have been, cos Sky are there.

paulscnthorpe
5th February 2012, 15:01
I've had some pretty bad carpet burns when playing indoor rugby.

That old one!

somerset-saint
5th February 2012, 19:41
Saints conditioner will need to be aware of this. Skins, leggings, kneepads, what ever is nessasary should be worn if this is going to be a consistent injury problem on the widnes pitch.

There is a difference between being soft and playing on an unsuitable surface.. What if Soliola bounces someone in a tackle and rips their skin open to the bone. There are some big hitters out there in SL who could do some real damage.

Hope it's just a co-incidence, but better to be over protective than to let our players go out and then be out for the next weeks game.


I am not sure if leggings are allowed. They are not allowed in Union because it can give you an unfair advantage when being tackled.... can you imagine chasing somebody, diving and wrapping your arms around their legs, only to find them slide off due to the material....

somerset-saint
5th February 2012, 19:42
Saints conditioner will need to be aware of this. Skins, leggings, kneepads, what ever is nessasary should be worn if this is going to be a consistent injury problem on the widnes pitch.

There is a difference between being soft and playing on an unsuitable surface.. What if Soliola bounces someone in a tackle and rips their skin open to the bone. There are some big hitters out there in SL who could do some real damage.

Hope it's just a co-incidence, but better to be over protective than to let our players go out and then be out for the next weeks game.


I am not sure if leggings are allowed. They are not allowed in Union because it can give you an unfair advantage when being tackled.... can you imagine chasing somebody, diving and wrapping your arms around their legs, only to find them slide off due to the material....

somerset-saint
5th February 2012, 19:48
I think the freezing conditions may have played a part and would like to see how it fares in a warmer climate, although it's not good seeing lads cut up like that.

As for the Salford game, the only way that would have been called off was if the surrounding areas were unsafe. We should know by now that games haven't been called off before when they should have been, cos Sky are there.


I have had a few cuts and grazes to my legs on dry pitch's, swollen and red knees from frozen pitch's... a lot of players rub vaseline on their knees to help... Like I have said before, I train twice a week on a 4G pitch (predecessor to the I pitch), and we do a lot of full contact work on there, including hitting bags and pads and hitting the ground, full contact rucking and tackling, and I have never had grazes or cuts or burns from the pitch. I have played full games on 4G (Burnage RUFC use either 3G or 4G as their main pitch) and to be honest the only problems for us is the scrum as you cannot dig your studs in like you can on grass, but that should not be a problem in RL scrums.

BigMatt
5th February 2012, 19:50
The Chairman of Widnes (Steve O'Connor??) was on Talksport last week and he said that they have been playing and training on the pitch for 6 months and it plays as true as any grass pitch. He was very complimentary about it. There was no mention of grazings! Going to have to see how this all pans out!

Albion
5th February 2012, 21:07
I think the freezing conditions may have played a part and would like to see how it fares in a warmer climate, although it's not good seeing lads cut up like that.

Definitely must be the case

Saintokell1974
5th February 2012, 21:07
Looks like a bit of nappy rash.:whistling:

He is always spitting his dummy!!!

Saintokell1974
5th February 2012, 21:16
Having a chat with me dad after the Wakefield comments started coming out about the pitch.

Wouldn't it be a weird IRONY if Widnes had to ask us to loan them our new stadium for a year cos they couldn't change their Ipitch back to grass cos of costs/contracts?

RedVee Admin
5th February 2012, 23:44
Also posted by Bronco on the RedVee Twitter feed on Saturday morning ;)

Saintokell1974
6th February 2012, 20:32
Also posted by Bronco on the RedVee Twitter feed on Saturday morning ;)

Sorry, some of us don't do twitter?

Lex
6th February 2012, 21:22
The Chairman of Widnes (Steve O'Connor??) was on Talksport last week and he said that they have been playing and training on the pitch for 6 months and it plays as true as any grass pitch. He was very complimentary about it. There was no mention of grazings! Going to have to see how this all pans out!

The Ground staff must have worked quickly then. Saints were still using it 6 months ago.

Sausalito
6th February 2012, 22:47
http://www1.skysports.com/rugby-league/news/12228/7492102/Widnes-refute-pitch-fears

oldun
6th February 2012, 22:57
The Ground staff must have worked quickly then. Saints were still using it 6 months ago.
The quote was "Our players have been training on a similar surface for the last nine months and there have been no issues. I am sure any problems would have shown up.

Saint Simon
8th February 2012, 00:33
Matty Ashurst came off pretty badly from an icy pitch rather than an ipitch
https://twitter.com/#!/matty_ash_89/status/165943488553287680/photo/1