More weather woes

Date Published: 05-Jan-2010

THERE are fears Connacht’s Friday night’s Magners League clash with Newport Gwent Dragons may not go ahead as planned due to the continuing freezing weather conditions which could bring chaos to the fixtures for the remainder of the season.

Saturday’s much-awaited sell-out clash with Leinster had to be postponed at the eleventh hour as the pitch was deemed unplayable as a result of the sub-zero temperatures which made the surface unsafe for players.

Connacht coach Michael Bradley and Leinster coach Michael Cheika inspected the pitch at noon on Saturday and deemed the surface playable for the 4pm kick-off, but following a further inspection with the two coaches and referee Peter Fitzgibbon at 2pm, it was decided to postpone the game for player safety.

CEO of Connacht Rugby, Gerry Kelly told the Sentinel the branch made every effort to ensure the match would go ahead – including covering it in a plastic membrane since the previous Thursday and using gas blow heaters on icy patches on the day – but players’ safety was paramount.

Mr Kelly said the plastic covering was designed to withstand temperatures of minus five degrees but on Friday night the temperatures had plummeted below this and at around 2pm the ground temperatures hadn’t risen that much and the sun had dropped behind the stand which prevented large patches of the pitch under the stand from thawing out.

Ironically, according to Mr Kelly, had a heavy shower of rain, a familiar scene at the Sportsground, fallen on the sod prior to the kick-off, it would have been playable, like in Ravenhill where the Ulster and Munster match went ahead later on Saturday.

The postponement of the match has no financial implication for Connacht although it does pose a fixtures headache. The replay may have to be played during the upcoming Six Nations tournament on a weekend when Ireland is playing meaning the Irish players would be unavailable for Leinster or possibly on a weekday after the Six Nations is over.

Mr Kelly said a decision on Friday’s match against the Dragons will be confirmed on Thursday and the branch is exploring all possibilities, including using more gas blowers, to make sure the match proceeds. “We are very apologetic to those fans who travelled but we did everything that was possible,” said Gerry Kelly, adding that tickets purchased for Saturday will be valid for the refixed match.