Scarlets players left wounded by ‘shocking’ Scotstoun pitch

Johnny McNicholl says 4G pitches should be “illegal” after Scarlets players were left with burns, bad grazing and blisters following their Pro14 semi-final win at Glasgow Warriors last Friday.

The Scarlets were unable to train on Monday and some players were still not fit to join in a full session on Tuesday as a result of injuries sustained on the Scotstoun surface.

Full-back McNicholl is among those suffering as Wayne Pivac’s side prepare to face Leinster in the final on Saturday.

The New Zealander said: “It has not been a couple of nice nights, sticking to the sheets,

“Underfoot, it is good when you are running, but as soon as you hit the deck it affects your joints as well.

“I would prefer not to play on them. I remember going down on the deck for the ball and got this massive grass burn on my backside.

“It was like a carpet burn. I said to the trainer straight after with a few words that I felt this pitch should be illegal.”

The 28-13 last-four victory also came at a cost for Steff Evans.

“These [wounds] are going to be stuck with me for a while, it is a tough field that 4G. It was just really dry. It wasn’t soft, it was a hard ground.” the Wales wing said.

“The weather didn’t help, it was like playing on carpet, it was shocking. You are waking up in bed and the sheets are stuck to your leg about seven times a night.”

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