Is artificial turf the future of rugby?

12/09/2012 9:10:59 p.m.

Seini wrote:

I hope the council listen to the stadium boss Davies, the players, think about all the expense in the roofing engineering and the cost of this to the rate payer before they turf the grass for an unproven artificial pitch! The whole point of the covered stadium and the selling point was to have a natural surface under a roof. I'd be very concerned if a bunch of elected lay people interfer with the development and design if this world class facility. So far no case has been put forward justifying such a radical change. If this change were made it could kill the stadium as an international rugby venue if teams won't play on it and this would be criminal. Why threaten the future of the stadium thus way? Look at the response of people despite the controversy: average attendances to Super Rugby games up 7000 per match, this weekend's test between All Blacks and South Africa should be a sell out as there is NO vacant accommodation in the Dunedin area. One has to go north to Oamaru or south to Milton to find any. That tells me they've got it right so Dunedin Council HANDS OFF OUR STADIUM - after all as rate payers we're funding it twice through rates and ticket purchases.