Louis Rees-Zammit demands end to artificial Prem pitches after leg burns at Saracens

Louis Rees-Zammit has called for an end to artificial pitches in the Prem after posting a graphic image of the wounds he sustained during Bristol’s defeat at Saracens’ StoneX Stadium last Saturday.

The Wales winger revealed the extent of the friction burns caused to his right leg after running out for the Bears on Saracens’ artificial pitch with the caption: “Can we please stop playing on these AstroTurf pitches!! Someone do something about it!!”

Saracens were the first Prem club to install an artificial pitch, in 2013, before Newcastle and Gloucester followed in 2014 and 2021. Worcester also used one before going into liquidation. After Saturday’s defeat, the Bristol director of rugby, Pat Lam, took aim at the surface and revealed he had omitted Pedro Rubiolo, AJ MacGinty and Steven Luatua from his side for fear of injury. “They came off big injuries last year and so it wasn’t worth putting them on that pitch,” Lam said. “If we were playing the game at home or if it was a semi-final, they would have played.”

A number of players have spoken out about artificial pitches in the past including the former England internationals Joe Marler and Jack Nowell, who has been omitted from Exeter lineups to avoid the risk of injury. In 2021, World Rugby allowed players to wear leggings and base layers to reduce the risk of burns.

The argument for artificial pitches is that they allow greater use even in extreme weather conditions. The Saracens and England hooker Jamie George, who is preparing for his side’s Champions Cup fixture at Connacht on Saturday, which will be played on an artificial pitch, said: “I think everyone reacts differently to these kinds of pitches. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion in terms of what they think about the pitches. I know the StoneX pitch meets all the rules and regulations.

“We make sure that we train on artificial surfaces on the week leading up to playing there at the weekend. Whether there is an advantage in that, whether that means our bodies get more used to it, you’d have to speak to a sports scientist, but I know that is an area of focus for us.”