Millennium Stadium welcomes new pitch

The Millennium Stadium welcomes the arrival of a brand new pitch as the iconic venue prepares to stage the best rugby in the world at the 2010 Autumn Series, which kicks off on Saturday 6 November with Wales v Australia (KO 2.30pm).

Up to 125 trucks are making their way to the city centre venue to deliver the 7,412 pallets which complete the 120m x 79m stage for Wales to face the biggest names in rugby next month.

When the giant pallet jigsaw is completed at the home of Welsh sport, 40mm thick ryegrass turf will be transported from Scunthorpe to host all four Autumn Series games (against Australia, South Africa, Fiji and New Zealand), the 2010 RBS 6 Nations and throughout the remainder of the rugby season.

The turf has been classified as excellent by experts following rigorous laboratory testing but Head Groundsman at the Millennium Stadium Lee Evans is mindful of the task ahead: "The plan is for the pitch to remain in situ for the entire international rugby season but, while I'm happy with the results that have come out of the lab so far, it is important that my team work especially hard over the coming months to ensure that the pitch is kept in optimum condition," he said.

Thanks to the round the clock vigil of Evans' team and the introduction of the lighting rigs, results have shown that the highest standards of pitch quality will remain all season.

See the rest of the article on the following link:-News Wales