RFL give green light to artificial turf

[Red Revolution]

Just been reading that the RFL have given permission to Widnes to use an artificial turf when they return to Super League next year. The iPitch has been given the go ahead after an RFL study on the latest technologies concluded, which had been carried out since 2010.

What do we think to this? Good move or not. I can see both pro's and cons.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/mobile/rugb...322946.stm

[HailThePocketRocket]

iPitch?? Is this Steve Jobs designed grass?

I can see some benefits to a bit of plastic grass.... no repeats of the Headingley beach after a terrible winter killed all the real grass!

But, and I suppose I am thinking of the sort of artificial grass that greengrocers put under their boxes of apples here, will it not be as harsh as anything on players skin??

Or is it that half and half stuff where there are x number of plastic/material blades in amongst real grass?

[jools]

No it's not the half and half stuff- they've always had that at the galpharm, but they have just artificial down the sidelines and the warming up area-It's isn't quite the greengrocer stuff but you can see the difference. I would imagine its slippery in the wet

[Red Revolution]

The players well being was one of the things taken into consideration.

[Red Revolution]

Apparently not, although I don't actually know Jen. It says in the report a new kind of playing surface.