Should 4G pitches be banned?

[Fats]

https://www.rugbypass.com/news/northampton-saints-players-hit-out-at-4g-pitches-with-gruesome-photos-of-allianz-park-injuries

[Neils]

Some of the injuries on the internet from Sunday at Allianz are quite bad burns.

[Neils]

But Sarries lawyers say no.

[Fats]

Some of the injuries on the internet from Sunday at Allianz are quite bad burns.

And?

Have you ever had a bad burn?  Can get infected and is very painful. 

[Neils]

Sorry your point is?
It was not only rugbypass putting out photos.

[NellyWellyWaspy]

Yes, but then what do you do about all those schools and local clubs that have installed them? As has been said before, they have already been banned in the Netherlands, for ALL uses, on health grounds. And they forced existing pitches to be dug up. Maybe other countries have done the same. Only if they are banned, with a no new and a phase out timescale for existing, will the makers then address the issues of burns, ligament and associated fracture injuries and the use of cancer related infill rubber.

[BG]

 My instinct is to say no to fully artificial pitches for rugby matches (perfect for training). That being said I've not played, trained or even run on a 4g pitch. There's the obvious arguments because of burns and impact injuries possibly but in my mind is the lack of give under foot when the studs bite into the core weave which holds the plastic turf.

[Stang]

I think they should. Look at the big injury to Jack, that wouldnt have been the same on a grass pitch.
The burns alone should make people ask the question, but the additional injuries to joints etc makes it a no brainer, they are dangerous. If you are jackling and have planted your feet, someone hits you, your studs dont slip, so a joint or ligament can go pop. its not good.

[RogerE]

One of my former gymnasts is a Senior Registrar, and he insists that plastic pitches should be banned, because they see a disproportionately high number of injuries in A&E as a result of playing on such pitches compared to all grass pitches.

Mind you he says neither are as bad for injuries as  home trampolines, and these should have been outlawed years ago.

[bournender2]

I would like to see them banned. I watched my lad's last game of rugby prematurely finish on a 4g pitch - some 6 years ago. Dislocated shoulder which wasn't relocated for 6-7 hours, which is still an issue.

The other problem is that games are being played on "summer" surfaces all season long without the reduced pace of wet boggy winter pitches over the mid months - at community level! So leading to more likelihood of sustaining injuries related to velocity and momentum over the 30 weeks or so?