Louis Rees-Zammit calls for ban on artificial rugby pitches

Bristol Bears winger Louis Rees-Zammit has called for a ban on artificial rugby pitches following severe friction burns sustained during a match against Saracens. After the 30-7 defeat at StoneX Stadium, the Welsh international shared images of his leg injuries on social media, pleading, “Can we please stop playing on these Astroturf pitches!! Someone do something about it!!”

Rees-Zammit is not the first player to report such injuries; others, including Christian Wade and Jonny May, have frequently used leggings to mitigate friction burns on 3G surfaces. Bristol head coach Pat Lam also expressed concerns regarding player safety, noting that he rested several players, including Pedro Rubiolo and Steven Luatua, to avoid further injury risks on artificial surfaces.

While Saracens hooker Jamie George defended the StoneX pitch, stating it meets all regulations, data from the Professional Rugby Injury Surveillance Project indicated a higher injury incidence on artificial surfaces (89 per 1,000 hours) compared to natural or hybrid grass (71 per 1,000 hours) during the 2022/23 season.