Blues pitch in to answer criticism of Arms Park
CARDIFF Blues have sprung to the defence of their artificial Arms Park pitch in response to strong criticism from Scarlets coach Wayne Pivac.
The two regions lock horns at the ground on New Year’s Eve and Pivac has revealed he will rest certain players from the derby because of concerns over the 3G surface.
He claims the Scarlets have suffered a lot of serious shoulder and knee injuries which have resulted in surgeries through playing on the pitch.
And he says he doesn’t want some of his players who have ongoing issues to play on the surface next week for medical reasons.
Now the Blues have responded to the Kiwi’s coach hard-hitting comments.
Outside-half Gareth Anscombe insists he has no issues with the surface.
“I enjoy playing on the pitch more than a wet, muddy pitch,” said the Wales international.
“Obviously you can’t beat a perfect grass field.
“But I would much rather play on our pitch than some of the tracks we encounter.
“You get the odd little scratch here and there, but in terms of impact it’s pretty good really.
“If we are going to talk about 3G, 4G pitches, I think our one is certainly a lot better than some of the other ones I have played on.
“The Scarlets can do what they want. It doesn’t really bother us too much. That’s fine by me.”
Pivac’s opposite number Danny Wilson insists the pitch is no more prone to producing injuries than other surfaces.
“First of all, it meets governing body requirements,” said the Blues head coach in a Radio Wales interview.
“Secondly, from our studies on the pitch, we’ve had as many injuries on grass as we have on that pitch.
“Also if you look, Glasgow play on it, Saracens, Newcastle, us, the Dragons regularly train on it, lots of teams do and more will.
“If the Scarlets have had individual issues on that pitch that’s for them to say, but us personally? We don’t have any problem with it.”
The £400,000 all-weather surface at the Arms Park was installed in 2013 to address long-standing issues with the old grass pitch.
Giving his thoughts on Pivac’s comments, Blues backs coach Matt Sherratt said: “I am not a pitch expert, like Wayne. But in terms of injury rates, as far as I am aware, there is no difference.
“Whenever there is a change of surface for a player, that’s where there can be a reaction,
“If you train and play on grass all the time, then go onto a different surface, you may get the odd reaction.”
Before hosting the Scarlets, the Blues will open their festive Welsh derby campaign with a Boxing Day trip to Rodney Parade, where they will take on the Dragons.
They are set to be bolstered by the return of skipper Gethin Jenkins for just his third outing in a season plagued by knee and calf trouble.
Meanwhile, Matthew Morgan yesterday became the latest Cardiff Blues player to sign a contract extension with the region. He is the 10th player to sign in recent weeks.