SPORTS: RUGBY

Our attention to detail is reflected in our mantra, ‘measure twice, cut once’.

We’re dedicated to achieving the best results for your venue and its athletes, whether it’s a local legend or the next international star.

Whether we design a pitch for an elite venue or a community facility, our approach doesn’t change. We conduct a detailed assessment of the existing site to ensure we:

• Know the condition of the existing subgrade.
• Locate drainage point of discharge.
• Determine the water supply pressure and flow for the irrigation system.
• Identify any site constraints.

Once we have a deeper understanding of the site, we brief the client and work with them so we can deliver their desired rugby pitch on time and on budget.

Here at SPORTENG, we take a sustainable approach to all our designs. Not happy with just the status quo, we always strive to investigate new designs and construction techniques that deliver positive environmental outcomes.

We believe sustainability is intertwined with sports greatness.

As part of this, we integrate your requirements, from budget to performance values, through to sustainability practices – this ensures we achieve a successful result.

Our sustainability approach for natural turf fields of play considers key design outcomes. These include:

• Ensuring we design the irrigation system to be as efficient as possible to minimise precipitation requirements.
• Specifying a playing surface profile that supports healthy turf growth with adequate natural retention to not hinder performance.
• Nominating a durable and drought-tolerant turf species that addresses the end users’ performance requirements.
• Consider the use of recycled materials in the growing medium.

When we design a synthetic grass pitch, we consider and address added environmental elements in the planning and design process. These include:

• End-of-life consideration allows us specify cradle-to-cradle materials and products that have a circular upcycle process at the end of its design life rather than a linear ‘take-make-waste’ process.
• Prioritising organic and infill-free systems allow us to specify the use of organic infills or systems that have no performance infill layer.
• The risk of microplastic displacement from the synthetic grass system means we ensure the pitch is fully enclosed to prevent infill displacement from the surface.

When it comes to selecting the appropriate natural turf profile for a rugby field , there are several options you can consider. Our decisional flow chart can help you marry your hours of use requirements for the pitch with the appropriate playing surface profile.

World Rugby have developed a detailed quality testing system for the use of synthetic grass systems for the development of pitches.

Both codes of rugby, Union and League, apply high concentrated loads onto the Field of Play surface. Subsequently, for a natural turf field, the profile needs to be stabilised with deep root growth and/or the use of proprietary reinforcement systems. We believe the following key principles are required to ensure this occurs:

• Playing surface profile meets the needs of the users: the performance of the profile can cater for the proposed weekly hours of use. The use of hybrid turf can increase the durability of a natural turf surface.
• Effective drainage: quickly remove surface water through the profile and into the subsurface drainage system (while retaining adequate moisture levels in the profile for the turf).
• Efficient irrigation: high uniformity across the whole surface.

The use of synthetic grass can enhance access to the sport, particularly the ease at which small-sided pitches can be readily used on full-sized field without negatively impacting the surface for use by seniors later the same day.

World Rugby mandates the use of synthetic grass systems that can be used for rugby fields. The key design principles differ from that of natural turf (obviously, there is no need for irrigation!) and are:

• Appropriate and compliant synthetic grass system: the synthetic grass system, including the underlying shockpad, must not only adhere to World Rugby standards but address the needs of the user and community. The variations in the latter criteria are generally dictated by the different infill used (i.e. recycled tire rubber, virgin rubber, organic, etc.).
• Effective drainage: quickly remove surface water through the profile and into either a horizontally draining profile (drainage cell over compacted crushed rock pavement) or a vertically draining profile (free draining aggregate base pavement).
• Long-term surface tolerance adherence: unlike natural turf, where a little bit of movement over time can be addressed through topdressing, the playing surface for a synthetic grass pitch cannot move over time as level change cannot be addressed through topdressing. Therefore, the pavement and underlying subgrade need to have a design life that should not move and have a design life in-excess of 20-years.

• Run-offs: Achieving the appropriate geometry is much more than just the length and width. Run-offs need to be met, meaning all perimeter infrastructure (i.e. spoon drain, fence, benches, etc.) need to be outside the run-off offset.
• Hinge-based rugby goals: Consideration should be given to the use of hinge-based goals, which make removal of the goals easier and alleviates the need for cranes, etc.
• High-wear areas: High-wear areas can be enhanced through the use of profile reinforcement or hybrid turf systems.
• Stability: The profile needs to be well-graded and consists of angular sands to help provide stability to the profile. In some cases, the use of proprietary products such as profile reinforcement or hybrid turf can help to increase the load-bearing capacity of the profile.
• Playing surface profile meets the needs of the users: the performance of the profile can cater for the proposed weekly hours of use.
• Effective drainage: quickly remove surface water through the profile and into the subsurface drainage system (while retaining adequate moisture levels in the profile for the turf).
• Efficient irrigation: high uniformity across the whole surface.

World Rugby endorses the use of synthetic grass as the playing surface for rugby pitches. The key design principles for a synthetic grass surface differ from that of natural turf and include:

• Appropriate and compliant synthetic grass systems including underlying shockpads, must adhere to the World Rugby standards and address the needs of the user and community. Variations in the secondary criteria are influenced by the different infills that are used.
• Effective drainage quickly removes surface water through the profile and into a horizontal draining profile or vertical draining profile.
• Long-term surface tolerance adherence is a key difference between these surfaces. The movement of natural turf can be addressed over time through topdressing, but the playing surface for synthetic grass cannot move over time as level change cannot be addressed through topdressing. The pavement and underlying subgrade must have a design life that shouldn’t move and is in excess of at least twenty years.

There are also some differences between rugby union and league pitches, which include different preferred widths, dead-ball zones, run-offs and width of goal posts.

It is important to note that run-offs need to be of the same surface as the playing areas, and all perimeter infrastructure, such as fences and benches, must be outside the run-off offset.

Here at SPORTENG, we pride ourselves on providing clients field designs that consider the operational and end-of-life phases. We make sure all clients are aware of the on-going upkeep requirements and that they have the resources to do so.