Millennium Stadium bosses intend to grow a new kind of pitch this summer which will revolutionise the iconic venue’s famous playing surface – using ‘black and white’ grass.
The unique genetically modified seeds, imported directly from Rugby World Cup host country New Zealand, will be grown in an eye-catching striped formation and be seen for the first time when Wales take on the Barbarians in Cardiff on Saturday 4th June.
The black and white stripes will stay for one game only forming a special ‘welcome matt’ for the Baa Baas, resembling their famous playing strip, but the new scientifically approved seeds are here to stay.
“Once the Barbarians game has been played we will lay extra seeds across the stripes mixing the ‘black and white’ ones up so the Millennium Stadium playing surface will have more of a grey appearance for the remaining games against England and Argentina in August,” said a Welsh Rugby Union spokesperson.
“If the pitch is a success, as we fully expect it to be, then it will remain for the season ahead.”
The Millennium Stadium’s battle with its playing surface has been well documented and bosses have tried a variety of ways to get around the problems created by effectively having to try to grow grass indoors.
“We have been winning the battle with a new lighting system in place to help grow the grass, but this new seed should revolutionise the way all stadia grow their pitches,” added a Millennium Stadium spokes person.
“The seeds have been grown in New Zealand as part of a major project to produce ‘indoor’ grass. If it works it will solve all of the problems we have with trying to grow grass in the stadium as we can just shut the roof and have complete control of the micro-climate in which the grass is grown.
“The new scientific breakthrough with this seed is that it can grow independently without natural light, which is in turn what gives it its unusual colouring.
“The grass still has a green hue to it but the black and white tinges occur as result of each seed’s individual search for light.
“If you think of the animal kingdom, albino animals are particular sensitive to light and that is what you get with the white seeds. They can absorb light through small cracks in the ceiling and still grow.
“The black seeds are the opposite of that, they effectively deflect any light which is shone on them because they have learnt to grow without it, so they end up appearing black.
“It should make for quite a spectacle at the Millennium Stadium when the Barbarians come to town and are able to play on a black and white pitch for the first time in their illustrious history.”
Wales face the Barbarians at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday 4th June before playing England on Saturday 13th August (Kick off 2.30pm) and Argentina on Saturday 20th August. These are the final preparation matches for the national side before they leave for New Zealand and embark on their 2011 RWC campaign in September.
“If you had told me one day we would be growing black and white grass at the Millennium Stadium I would never have believed you,” said the Millennium Stadium head grounds-woman April Loof.
“When I first heard of this new technology I thought it had to be a joke, simple science tells you grass simply shouldn’t grow without light, but this stuff does… apparently!”
