'It's magic': New synthetic pitch for Cape Town Stadium
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The prospect of a new synthetic pitch at the Cape Town Stadium has been met with pure excitement by Stormers head coach John Dobson.
Cape Town Stadium has become the official home of the Stormers following the signing of an Anchor Tenant Agreement between the City of Cape Town and Western Province Rugby on Wednesday.
The agreement that has been in process for a couple of years finally reached a conclusion with both parties being comfortable with negotiations, WP Rugby administrator Rian Oberholzer said.
“We came to an agreement where both parties are comfortable that it is the best deal,” Oberholzer revealed at the media briefing.
“However all is not about the rental there are other issues that we agreed on that just make it a more lucrative position for WP Rugby, so yes we are happy with the agreement.”
With the Stormers and Western Province being the primary tenant of the Stadium, Cape Town Stadium CEO Lesley De Reuck confirmed that the surface of the pitch will undergo a transformation to make it more rugby friendly.
The stadium turf, which was originally created for football during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, has the tendency to tear up under the weight of the pack, particularly at scrummaging.
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“We will start the process of relaying the pitch in July and we should be finished in October – using the 2023 World Cup period where there are no rugby matches scheduled,” De Reuck said.
“The new pitch will be 50 percent grass and 50 percent synthetic, which means it will be easier to maintain and the surface can be used more.
“Since we had the British and Irish Lions [in July 2021] here for five matches in a row it has been a handful to maintain but with the new synthetic pitch it will be a dream.”
Stormers head coach John Dobson could not contain his smile at the news, especially given the pack which boasts Springboks Frans Malherbe and Joseph Dweba.
Unfortunately, Steven Kitshoff won’t enjoy the turf given his transfer to Ulster after the 2023 World Cup.
“I just have to text [prop Frans] Malherbe about the news,” Dobson told reporters with a big smile.
“It is really fantastic. From a team’s point of view, we do slip a little bit and during the British and Irish Lions tour in the middle of winter, it [surface] took a bit.
“It has been moderately restored for this season but [this announcement] it’s magic for us.”
The Stormers will take on the Sharks this Saturday at the Cape Town Stadium in the URC Round 15 clash.
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