Anybody watch the red button highlights of the Leeds V Hull KR match, the pitch was awful. I know the Tykes play there too but it resembled a beach again. Maybe they have been parking cars on there again.

Was the same last year

Groundsmen on top dollar to come up with a surface like that, what a joke.

its like that at the start of every season.no cars on it when the cricket season is over.

They play union mud wrestling on it all winter so thats why its dire.

Interested to see how this Widnes pitch surface is liked or disliked. No way of it happening in Leeds though, the South Stand plan has been axed due to lack of finance so the playing surface has no chance. Suppose to be the best ground in rugby league.... i think not.

Well mathers is having a cry on twitter about the pitch saying its a absolute joke and his elbows and knees are cut up .

Bloody Hell(bow) Mathers.





(Nice to see the first try of the season coming from a familiar source as well)

I personally wouldn't like to play on Widnes pitch. You could see that quite a few of the players were very reluctant to turn or stop abruptly at tonights match.

I wonder how they go on with studs ? Can they grip the surface at all ?

Well injuries caused will be a bigger determining factor than grazes. I told Mathers than he should just have put a pair of jeggings on and he'd have been reet.

Widnes' injury record will be interesting to see as the season goes on.

I'm sure we had a semi artificial pitch at one point, but there were lots of injuries to football players and Hock and O'Loughlin both doing their knee ligaments . From what I remember, it was said the injuries were caused by studs getting snagged in some netting below the surface? I didn't like the iPitch... You could clearly see many players with cuts and burns on their knees and elbows.

The original pitch was some sort of hybrid that was meant to be able to withstand heavy usage.

Unfortunately, despite being told, they didn't dig down deep enough with the drainage nor did they raise the pitch enough and so it gets flooded every year and that's why it's constantly poor.

I've had a massive weeping scab on my knee all week from a 3g pitch. That was from soccer, wouldn't like to play rugby on one.

Why don't they wear protective bandages on elbows and knees. They wouldn't have to be cumbersome. I expect we will see this happening as the season wears on.

That's quite common in modern grass pitches. The fantastic pitch at the Etihad Stadium has a plastic thread woven into the turf to stop it breaking up. I don't know how deep it is but it would have to be fairly shallow for it to work.

We'll see what effect that has on rugby in May.

I get these from playing hockey on astro pitches, but that's every week, and they take ages to heal. Widnes will play every other week, and as has already been said, they will probably get elbow and knee pads or bandaging. Visiting teams will only play there once.

PS: Try the hydrocolloid dressings from Boots: ideal for wet-healing this type of injury.

Agreed re the hydrocolloid plasters for wet/weeping wounds, a fiver will seem like a lot but they're brilliant as they go a long way to prevent scarring.

they want to try playing propper summer rugby on pitches like judes which has no sprinkler system other than the odd dog being walked having a tinkle on it its like concrete. It comes to summat when rugby players are moaning about a grazed knee

When has Headingley ever supposedly been labelled the "best ground" in RL??

Its probably the best of the 100yrs+, but best in RL? You'd be right to think not.

Its a pitch used 12mths a year by 2 different sports, at the beginning of the season in minus conditions covered in sand. Hardly gonna be perfect is it??

Doesn't matter what excuse you make, it's not good enough. Those days are supposed to be over for RL. The pitch is awful, it should be taken into account when rating the ground.

To be honest, the DW pitch didn't look too good at the weekend either. SImilarly, not good enough.

My god it's not rocket science is it?
for all of you intelligent posters please stop reading now as you clearly know the answer

[uANSWER[/u
Pitches that are used for a constant 12 months tend to suffer,especially in the winter months when grass doesn't grow

I can't recall a game being cancelled at headingley due to the pitch (apart from weather that would cancel any game on any pitch). The groundstaff do well with what they have got, and the pitch will be spot on soon enough.

With regards to 3g pitches, they use an artificial soil base made up of fine rubber particles and sand that will take a stud if it is raked back into position as needed. It should even give enough support for quick changes of direction.

Well obviously it is! Heard any complaints from Hull KR players since?
How's your roof? They should take it into account when rating the ground. You should send for Melinda Messenger to finish it off and get Dominic Littlewood to chase the 'cowboys' that built it!

I couldnt care less about the state of the pitch unless injuries will occur because of it. I'm more concerned about the state of the team and as a Leeds fan i am pretty chuffed right now.

Widnes can