I wasn’t really for artificial turf being used for rugby matches for a while.
I was however lucky to play in a rugby match for my local team in of our preseason fixtures before the start of this season. We were lucky to play at Allianz Park in this fixture and I have to say it was lovely to play on. This was however in the sunshine and hot weather, so it could be very different for wet and greasy conditions. Injury wise none of us suffered from burns, one of our forwards did dislocate his shoulder connecting to the ground however this could happen on any type of turf given the force of connection.
It felt like a dream to play on in the middle of august, perfect for running rugby in our back line and a nice surface to kick from the tee off. The forwards didn’t complain either so I guess it was ok to scrum on etc.
I still prefer grass however, but now only just. Especially well mainted short cut grass.
Was a great experience to play on.