England's men will christen a revolutionary new Twickenham surface against the Wallabies on Sunday, and the science beneath it is wild.
England's men are about to run out on a brand-new playing surface at Twickenham, and this one is no ordinary patch of grass. When they face the Wallabies on Sunday, the pitch itself will be one of the day's big talking points.
The turf comes with a list of ingredients that reads more like a science lab than a rugby ground: nanobubbles, a hidden reservoir and even a wildlife headache in the form of hungry foxes. Together they show how much thought now goes into the ground beneath a Test match.
For players, the surface decides everything from how cleanly a scrum holds to how safely a winger can step off his left foot at full pace. A pitch that drains, grows and recovers better can lift the quality of the contest and help protect bodies over 80 punishing minutes.
The Wallabies will be among the first to test it in a Test match, and the new surface has to prove itself under real pressure. If it performs, expect other major venues to take notice.
