Twickenham grounds team reports sturdier surface after pitch rebuild

Twickenham's rebuilt pitch has shown greater resilience in its first match assessment, according to a BBC Sport report published on Thursday. Jim Buttar, England Rugby's head of grounds and technical operations, said his team found the new Allianz Stadium surface sturdier after England women's September victory over New Zealand. The assessment remains preliminary.

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The replacement surface contains 93% natural grass and 7% plastic yarn, compared with the previous 97%-3% combination, the BBC reported. It replaces a pitch that had been maintained since 2012. Turf grown in Scunthorpe was transported to London and laid over four days as part of the summer reconstruction.

Beneath the grass, the project has changed how the stadium manages water. Trade publication TurfPro reported that the installation includes approximately 1,400 cubic metres of underground storage, equivalent to 1.4 million litres. Its account of the renovation describes a system that combines stored water, subsurface irrigation and moisture monitoring, rather than relying on the visible playing surface alone.

TurfPro's September report detailed 6,192 metres of drainage pipework and 29,500 metres of undersoil heating pipe. Irrigation is divided into four sections that can be monitored independently, with 36 moisture sensors and two DrainTalent units supporting the closed-loop system. Natural grass is reinforced with Hatko's synthetic turf technology, bringing the surface and underground infrastructure together in the rebuild.

The wider construction programme lasted 12 weeks and required more than 10,000 working hours, according to TurfPro. It reported that the new turf arrived in 26 lorry loads and that more than 20 skips of material were sent for recycling. Those figures cover the broader renovation, not simply the four days spent laying the replacement grass.

Buttar told the BBC that sustainability was a central aim, alongside maintaining playing quality. Water is collected for reuse, with nanobubble aeration helping prevent stagnation. He also cautioned that changing weather remains a major challenge: the grounds team must keep adjusting its plans as wet and cold conditions develop, despite the additional control offered by the new installation.