Can't the players just cover their legs and arms in future? Or am i missing something? Some kind of fitted Lycra? I thought the pitch looked and played great. Feel very very sorry for Mathers though, that grazed knee must be debilitating.

It is a bit like crying over spilt milk tbh. If they were all moaning about damaged / sprained joints then I'd be concerned not a bloody grazed knee!

As seen elsewhere if the games were the other way around and Salford pics came through first I doubt anyone would have been kicking up much fuss about it.

didn't England Academy play AIS on the 3g pitch outside the LSV?

Just got back from the Stobart and NW Crusaders 62-0 win against Halifax Under 23s.

After all the hoohaa after Friday's game about the pitch we expected to see plenty of claret. However, really impressed with the pitch, for one thing allowing the game to be played today at short notice and giving up some cracking tries. Like watching summer rugby! Surprised too that after Friday the players weren't extra protected except for a big dollop of Vaseline. A few grazed knees but worth the run out with another confidence boosting performance from the new Cru.

Some players were wearing base layer tops yesterday.

Only if you completely misunderstand the meaning of the expression 'no use crying over spilt milk.'

In the end, it's the Widnes players who will suffer the most and we've already witnessed them making public complaints then quickly retracting them, no doubt after a massive bollocking from Mr O'Connor.

For me, if the plastic pitch continues to cause these types of abrasion injuries in the warmer weather, then it has no future as a playing surface; it will go back to being a training surface and we'll play on grass again, like we have for the past 100 years or so. In that circumstance, I'm sure that the groundsmen from WTW and Cas could offer some advice to those clubs less able to maintain a decent pitch, to ensure that everyone is up to our already high standards.

Given the RFL's approach to 'news,' I expect they'll do a press release next week suggesting that Widnes players have got the smoothest and most effectively exfoliated skin in SL, demonstrating that the i-pitch is a complete success.

Both those matches were played at the LSV stadium, undersoil heating

This isn't about being able to maintain a decent pitch. The Widnes groundsmen won awards over the years and our grass always looked in good shape.

The Widnes ipitch has had 3 games and a training session on it in 3 days. It doesn't matter how good your groundsmen are, a grass pitch could not withstand that. The ipitch provides a regular income that could prove to be a life saver for many clubs, and help keep them solvent.

There are certainly question marks over it, but I think it is worth giving it a season or so to prove itself before dismissing it of of hand. [i'We've played on grass for 100 years'[/i isn't really an argument, is it?

Starbug, how on earth can you feck up the quote box so often? You've been doing this for years now. What on Earth are you doing?

My ar5e.

When you click the quote button leave the contents of the quote alone. Just leave it and start typing below it. Stop fannying around with the brackets and the stuff inside the brackets.

Like this?

All I was doing was leaving the relevant bit in the quote, posting on this thing means you cant ' highlight ' parts you are answering