Burning Issue: Glasgow's Scotstoun pitch has turned up the heat on Glasgow.

Why It’s Time To Get Drastic About The Plastic . . . Following Shameful Glasgow Response

The Scarlets ripped Glasgow apart last week, but they also ripped the skin off their limbs in winning. Robin Davey says this latest incident involving injuries on artificial surfaces needs urgent attention.

Scarlets players with gruesome friction burns deserve a better response than the disinterested shrug of the shoulders from Glasgow.

No-one who plays rugby should expect to come off the field looking like they have had a nasty accident with a dodgy gas stove.

But that was the outcome from last Friday’s Guinness Pro14 semi-final at Scotstoun, played on the Scottish side’s artificial surface.

The incident follows a worrying trend and when players are so clearly disfigured, Glasgow’s complacent response that their pitch meets required standards is hopelessly inadequate.

They should be as outraged as Scarlets coach Wayne Pivac clearly was. They should also be embarrassed that their home pitch has led to those injuries, whatever the regulations might say.

It’s a PR disaster, just as it was at Pontypridd after injuries suffered by Merthyr players and also those at Saracens, Newcastle and Worcester.

Scarlets wing Steff Evans.

The number of players forced to quit rugby early because of concussion has grown alarmingly, but now artificial pitches are causing renewed problems.

The Scarlets have been unable to train properly for their big Pro 14 playoff final against Leinster because most of their players were suffering from burns and grazes.

Though Glasgow say they are entirely happy with the pitch and that it is fully compliant with the performance specification of World Rugby who held a sevens event there, the Scarlets are a lot less complimentary.

Their New Zealand import, Johnny McNicholl, has called for a ban on artificial pitches after suffering a dozen grazes, adding his feet felt numb after playing.

And he says he’s not the worst of the Scarlets players affected.

Don’t expect World Rugby to start taking notice of players just because their skin is being mutilated, though. They are always the last to act.

But might it be too much to expect the governing body to realise this is not a good look for a sport trying to attract young boys and girls to give it a try?

Ceri Sweeney was injured playing at Pontypridd.

Surely, they could at least order an investigation into what is happening. How about advising players on wearing protective kit on such surfaces?

Pivac complained the pitch was “very bad” and says he’s not a fan of artificial surfaces.

Glasgow and Cardiff Blues are the two teams in the Pro 14 competition who have these pitches.

Perhaps it’s no coincidence that back row forward John Barclay suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in the semi-final which will keep him sidelined for up to six months and out of Scotland’s autumn series while Steffon Armitage suffered a similar injury playing for Toulon on the Cardiff pitch and is expected to be out all year.

On top of that, Wasps flanker Jack Willis ruptured knee ligaments playing on Saracens’ artificial pitch last weekend and could be out for a year, the immediate effect meaning he misses the chance to go on England’s tour to South Africa next month.

Wasps director of rugby Dai Young commented blandly when asked about Willis’ injury, “It’s a rugby injury on a rugby pitch.”

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But an RFU report discovered that in season 2016-17 the number of days players were out through an injury sustained on an artificial pitch has almost doubled.

Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall said the sample size was too small to make any definitive conclusion from it.

Nevertheless, though Saracens, Newcastle and Worcester among English Premiership clubs possess artificial pitches, Gloucester are taking no such chances.

They were due to install one but after taking advice from players now intend spending £1m on a hybrid pitch instead.

Clearly this is a problem which isn’t going away and despite denials there is any problem from those who have artificial pitches, the fact remains a worrying list of serious injuries, grazes and burns are being inflicted on a growing number playing on them.

 

Wales head off for their summer tour at the weekend, which initially at least has descended into a farce.

Wales kick it off with a bizarre fixture in Washington against South Africa on June 2 when both sides will be seriously below strength.

Rival coaches Warren Gatland and Rassie Erasmus have both rested leading players, Gatland because some are in real need of a break and Erasmus because he wants to keep many back for the forthcoming Test series against England.

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As if fielding seriously weakened sides is not enough, Gatland decided to pull out Luke Charteris, Tomas Francis and Josh Adams because their clubs, following Premiership Rugby policy, refused to release players for the first tour game against South Africa because it falls outside the IRB window.

And with the Scarlets reaching the Pro 14 play-off finals it means their players, who form a major part of the touring squad, will have to catch a 6.30 am flight out of Dublin on Sunday morning to meet up with the rest of the party and catch their flight to America.

Clearly, the Scarlets group shouldn’t be involved in that opener after all the rugby they’ve been playing, but Gatland may have little choice other than to include a few.

But then the tour does get serious with two Tests against Argentina on June 9 and 16. Their leading team, the Jaguares, have set the alarm bells ringing around the rugby world with a series of terrific performances.

After initially being the whipping boys in Super Rugby, inspirational former Pumas hooker Mario Ledesma returned home from Australia to mastermind a remarkable revival.

Under his guidance the Jaguares have astonished many by winning against New Zealand opposition in New Zealand, beating the Blues 20-13 in Auckland.

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They also thrashed the South African Bulls 54-24 and also beat Australian sides Melbourne Rebels and the Brumbies.

National coach Daniel Hourcade will have an abundance of fresh talent to choose from for the Tests against Wales, and with so many key players missing while others will be jaded the Welsh team could be set for a rough ride.

 

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