The naked eye does suggest that rugby on synthetic pitches is faster, an idea the statistics firmly underline. The first point is that recent research has proven that if you look at the stats of the matches that are played on synthetic pitches compared to those that are played on natural grass you can notice that the ball is in play a lot longer. Secondly, the GPS numbers – as far as running [distances and speeds] and collisions – are significantly higher and therefore preparation is different when playing on a synthetic pitch.

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