Sports · Other Sports · 1 hr ago
Bristol rested three players because of StoneX Stadium pitch
Bristol rested three key players for its trip to Saracens in north London.
Director of rugby Pat Lam said Pedro Rubiolo, AJ MacGinty and Steven Luatua were left out because of the condition of the pitch at StoneX Stadium.
Lam said the players had returned from major injuries last season and he did not want to risk them on that surface.
He said they would have played if the match had been at Bristol or was a semi-final.
Lam has opposed artificial pitches in the Premiership, saying they are hard and his team has suffered injuries on them.
Newcastle installed a new fully artificial pitch at Kingston Park ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The concerns raise questions about player safety on artificial surfaces, but no further action is stated.
Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam rested Pedro Rubiolo, AJ MacGinty and Steven Luatua for a trip to north London because of the StoneX Stadium pitch.
Lam said the three players had returned from significant injuries last season and he did not think it was worth putting them on that pitch.
He said they would have played if the game had been at home or was a semi-final.
Lam has previously spoken out against artificial pitches in the Premiership.
Saracens had been contacted for comment.
- Who
- Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam rested Pedro Rubiolo, AJ MacGinty and Steven Luatua.
- What
- The three players were left out of the squad for a trip to north London.
- When
- The decision emerged over the weekend. The date of the match is not stated.
- Where
- StoneX Stadium in north London.
- Why
- Lam said the players had returned from significant injuries and he did not think it was worth putting them on that pitch.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
This story does not have a timeline yet.
- Players rested
- Pedro Rubiolo, AJ MacGinty and Steven Luatua
- Decision-maker
- Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam
- Venue
- StoneX Stadium, north London
- Reason given
- The players had come off big injuries last season
- Alternative circumstances
- Lam said they would have played at home or in a semi-final
What people are saying
They came off big injuries last season so it wasn't worth putting them on that pitch
If we were playing the game at home or if it was a semi-final, they would have played
These pitches are hard - I'm not a big fan of them
We always take injuries on them and we've taken a few more
Sources
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