Bristol Bears director of rugby Pat Lam has voiced concerns about the 4G pitches in the Premiership having lost on-loan scrum-half Toby Venner to an ACL injury sustained while playing at Worcester’s Sixways Stadium last week.
Venner left the field just 14 minutes after coming on as a replacement and will now require surgery, following an innocuous incident in which Lam claims he simply went to step and then jarred his knee.
On a less serious note, Piers O’Conor has an ankle sprain which makes him a doubt for Friday’s Premiership visit of Wasps, the centre also sustaining the injury while attempting to change direction.
It follows a Premiership Cup game in November at Sixways in which the Bears lost full-back Matty Jones to a knee issue, with the teenager only recently returning to training while tighthead Jono Benz-Salomon was also ruled out for 10 weeks with a high ankle sprain.
With Venner, who's on loan from Gloucester, out, the Bears have just one recognised scrum-half for Friday's game at Ashton Gate with Theo Strang set to be backed-up by utility man Ioan Lloyd.
“We’ve played two games there (Sixways) now and three guys have ended up with surgery and other niggles - Piers O’Conor has sprained his ankle and I know (Worcester’s) Jamie Shillcock did his. We’re not having great luck there, we’ve come away with some big injuries on that surface.
“I’m just talking facts. One guy got a knee injury just stepping and another guy a high ankle sprain, so he had surgery. If you have a look, Toby just went to step and his knee gave way, which was similar to the game before (at Sixways) and then Piers went to step.
“A lot of the players aren’t big fans of the 4G but they get on with it. You get injured on any pitch but certainly the 4G pitch you’re open to bigger injuries. It’s more the way it happens, it’s just unfortunate.”
Sixways is one of four 4G pitches in the Premiership alongside Saracens’ StoneX Stadium - where the Bears travel to on March 26 - Newcastle’s Kingston Park and Gloucester’s Kingsholm. The pitches allow for rugby to be played all week long, not falling victim to the weather or preparing for a professional game and therefore can be significant sources of revenue, while also supporting rugby in the community.
They continue to be a contentious subject with England prop Joe Marler declaring they should be banned when he played at Newcastle in September - a tweet at the time that received support from a number of prominent players. England wing Jack Nowell has also been a vocal critic, citing the risk of knee injury and the severe burns caused to the skin.
Lam didn’t want to push the debate too far, understanding all the nuances and details of the reasons why, but indicated that player welfare should be the deciding factor, and most of the players he speaks to would always choose grass, due to the lesser threat of injury.
The Bears do have two artificial surfaces installed at the Barn and outside the High Performance Centre in Abbots Leigh, aiding their preparation when they play on one of the aforementioned four pitches, but that only goes so far, given the discrepancies at each stadium.
“They’re all slightly different, depending how they were made, how they were put together and what standard they’re at,” Lam added.
“A lot of people have 4G pitches because of the community part, and you can get a lot of people and a lot of games and you don’t have to worry about the mud and the weather. What happens is the more people that are on it, it can flatten and harden it out.
“At the end of the day, the players give you feedback, and the players certainly enjoy the grass. But it’s a mindset, you get on there and you play, the boys don’t complain… but the facts are, we’re pretty much always getting injuries on them.
“At the end of the day, this is an argument that’s there the whole time. Obviously it’s a commercial thing, it's a community thing. Sometimes it’s the only pitch you get a lot of use out of. I understand all that sort of stuff.
“I think the most important thing is, there’s always the arguments for and against, and I don’t really want to get into that debate, I’m just saying we’ve had some big, long-term injuries from playing on it. The thing is, if you ask the players, they’re the best people. If you did a survey - grass or 4G - and even if it’s anonymous, that would be interesting.
“I understand the reason why people have it - you have limited space, you need people to use it but from the injury side of it, the reality is… and for players, it’s a different story. The debate will go on and on.”
