BURNING ISSUE
Scarlets make call for Warriors’ plastic pitch to be rendered illegal
SCARLETS have slated the state of Glasgow Warriors’ artificial pitch, branding the Scotstoun surface ‘shocking’ and calling for it to be made ‘illegal’.
The Welsh side ran out 28-13 winners in Friday night’s Guinness Pro14 semi-final in Glasgow but did not come away unscathed.
Scarlets and Scotland captain John Barclay was the biggest casualty of the night and is facing a six-month lay-off after rupturing his Achilles tendon. How he suffered his injury remains a mystery as no one was near him as he went down.
However, although Scarlets head coach Wayne Pivac highlighted his side were unable to train on Monday due to injuries picked up on the Scotstoun pitch, he did not suggest Barclay’s injury had been caused by the surface.
The Kiwi was left furious by his casualty list, with blisters, sore feet and burns being the main issues as they prepare for the Pro14 final against Leinster on Saturday.
‘It was very bad on the weekend,’ said Pivac. ‘It was very sore and guys got burned. I am not sure what other teams have had but we had a lot of burns, a lot of bad grazing and blisters.
‘The surface was very firm. It is what it is. You have got to play on them and you have got to accept it. But I am not a fan.
‘The main thing for us is to make the burns heal up. To run around and knock the skin off again is not the ideal situation.
‘No one trained on Monday in terms of rugby work on the field.’
Winger Steff Evans, who picked up burns and bruises at Scotstoun, was another to complain, saying: ‘It was just really dry. It wasn’t soft. It was a hard ground. The weather didn’t help. It was like playing on carpet. It was shocking.’
Full-back Johnny McNicholl went even further, claiming Glasgow’s pitch ‘should be illegal’.
‘It was not a nice pitch to play on,’ he said. ‘I’ve got a dozen burns.
‘It has been difficult to sleep with the sheets sticking to me. I remember going down on the ball and I got a massive burn on my backside, a bit like a carpet burn.
‘I told the trainer at the time these pitches should be illegal as they are high risk for injury.
‘That surface can be good in terms of footwork, but, as soon as you hit the deck, it can really hurt your joints. You are not meant to slide and I did it a few times. It was horrible. I prefer not to play on them.
‘I could not train yesterday because of the burns and my feet were numb.’
Artificial surfaces are becoming more commonplace in rugby with the £1.2million hybrid surface at Murrayfield one of the best in the world. Other teams have laid 4G pitches as it suits fast, open play.
Scarlets are the first team to complain so openly about the 4G pitch at Scotstoun and Glasgow gave short shrift to their complaints.
‘Glasgow Warriors are entirely happy with the Scotstoun pitch, which was only installed in 2016 and is compliant with World Rugby’s Performance Specifications,’ said a Warriors spokesman.
Meanwhile, Warriors head coach Dave Rennie has moved to bolster his back row by signing USA international David Tameilau on a two-year deal.
The No 8 has joined from Utah Warriors and has previously spent time at Newcastle Falcons in the English Premiership, Mitre 10 Cup side Taranaki and Narbonne in France.
Tameilau has represented the USA nine times and was called up to the squad earlier this month for their summer Test series, which includes a game against Scotland in Houston next month.
Barbarians coach Pat Lam has also drafted in Scotland stand-off Finn Russell for their match with England at Twickenham on Sunday.
WIGAN WARRIORS head coach Shaun Wane, leaving the rugby league club in October, has emerged as a candidate to replace Dan McFarland as Scotland forwards coach.
Worcester Warriors coach Carl Hogg remains the favourite as he leaves the English Premiership club at the end of the season. He has been given the forwards coach role on a trial basis on Scotland’s threematch summer tour, where he will work alongside McFarland, who is leaving to become head coach of Ulster.