Time to bring back the old 3/4 sleeve shirts!

Halifax are playing Crusaders on it today... Another game saved

But we get rock hard pitches in summer too, assuming a decent summer obviously. And we don't actually know how badly or otherwise players were affected by the i-pitch at Widnes do we? So far we have just had Richie Mathers screaming about it and there seems to have been an OTT reaction to that. A match has been called off which was due to be played on Leigh East's 3G pitch and yet it has held a lot of matches and nobody has complained previously.

Until there is an objective, comprehensive review of the degree of scrapes when compared to other pitch conditions which are passed as playable then I'm reserving judgement.

Judgement will be made when a few more clubs have played on it.

True, trying to judge it now is ridiculous. One game, one set of conditions etc etc. As pics have shown Salfords grass pitch did far more damage than the ipitch. So we'll see how they are shaping up come the summer.

I take it you missed the tweets from Widnes players about it ? Scott Moore complaining he was "cut to ribbons" and Stefan Marsh saying "iPitch ? iShyte more like" for example ?

The RFL have made a massive mistake sanctioning the use of such a surface and as usual have given themselves no room to manoeuvre. What are they going to do when the next couple of games result in the same problems ? The rest of the season at Widnes will be played out with both teams resembling American footballers due to the amount of padding required to be able to play the game without a heightened risk of injury.

Ironic that one or two posters have highlighted the ipitch as a cheaper alternative to maintaining a good quality grass pitch when 2 of the best grass pitches consistently seen in Superleague are at Cas and Wakey - 2 teams seen by most as being financially challenged.

Coincidentally the other teams that only play rugby league on their pitch seem to have a pretty good surface with plenty of grass on such that grazing during the summer when the grounds are hard doesn't become a problem.

And by all this American football padding, you mean just an under armor long sleeve top and a bit of Vaseline, which in temperatures at this time of the year, you'll find players using anyway. It's hardly like they're playing on concrete.

I wonder on what basis the RFL has sanctioned it, do we have any experience of playing rugby league on this type of surface, or is this a prototype situation to see if there is any advantage over conventional pitches.
Probably the main concern will be from the Widnes players if the cuts and graizes don,t heal in time for there next home game which might open up all sorts of infections.
In muddy conditions on a conventional pitch you can slide in over the try line, on the Widnes pitch you could end up with a total skin peel.

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.