Ellis park pitch undergoes repairs

The lack of rain during summer has left the pitch at Ellis Park in a bad state requiring repairs.

Johannesburg - The lack of rain during summer has left the pitch at Ellis Park in a bad state requiring repairs.

The poor state of the pitch saw break-up during scrummaging, rucks and mauls since the first home Super Rugby game for the Lions against the Cheetahs on 19 March.

“The El Nino effect has restricted grass growth and poor root establishment at the park,” explains Mike Erasmus, stadium manager.

In the game against the Crusaders two percent of the playing surface was breaking up due to high temperatures in the week leading up to the game. As a result corrective steps had to be taken this week leading up to the Super Rugby match against the Stormers on Saturday.

Johan van Vuuren, the pitch expert at Ellis Park and one of the leaders on pitch management in South Africa, headed up the corrective action project.

“This had to be done to ensure the safety of the players and to restrict injuries. We had to take these precautionary measures and while it will take three weeks to recover, the pitch will be ready for all the forthcoming fixtures including the Test in June,” Erasmus concluded.

African News Agency