Hallowed turf of Twickenham all set to take centre stage

LONDON, 23 Oct - Twickenham head groundsman Keith Kent has tended to the Twickenham turf for more than 13 years, but faces the biggest challenge of his career this weekend as Rugby HQ hosts the Rugby World Cup 2015 semi-finals on consecutive days.

The first game kicks off at 16:00 on Saturday when South Africa take on reigning world champions New Zealand, while the second match between Argentina and Australia is at 16:00 on Sunday.

Kent (pictured), a former Manchester United head groundsman who was at Old Trafford for 15 years, has overseen a diverse range of events - from Rolling Stones concerts to the IRB Sevens World Series - since moving to the south-west in September 2002 and has relished this week's challenge.

"This is by far the biggest event I’ve had to prepare for in my 13 years here at Twickenham," he said.

"We hosted two quarter-finals here last week. After the game on the Sunday night the pitch was a little wet on top, so we divoted for about an hour, and then we hoovered it with five rotary mowers. This stands the grass up and takes any debris off the pitch."

PITCH PERFECT

Before the semi-finals, Kent and his team have followed a meticulous schedule to ensure the pitch is in perfect condition for the players on matchday. 

"On Monday we fertilised to keep the nutrients in the soil, and then we irrigated the pitch with about six millimetres of water," he said. "We got away early though, there was no rush.

"On Tuesday and Wednesday we set up mowers to cut again, but the pitch, having played two games, just needed a rest.

“Thursday we really got stuck in. We took the lighting rigs off and double cut the pitch. We then gave it a liquid feed just to green it up and to give it the wow factor.

"Friday is the really busy day for us with four captains' runs. Six hours' usage the day before a World Cup semi-final is a groundsman’s nightmare.

"After the final session, we will get straight onto the pitch and walk until we are satisfied that we have not missed any divots. Then, on Saturday, we will double-cut the pitch to iron the pattern in, put the corner flags out and let battle commence.”

OPENING CEREMONY

Twickenham will have hosted 10 matches during RWC 2015 and Kent's team of four full-time workers and three volunteer groundsman, who are part of the RFU Groundsman Connected scheme, have had their work cut out since the opening night.

“During the opening ceremony we had lots of equipment and people on the pitch so it was a balancing act for us. It was a bit of a nightmare for the ground staff to be honest, but it was well worth it," he said.

"We had a dilemma. If we left the grass long in order to protect it, would it have stood up quickly enough for the rugby, and if we cut it too short, would we have damaged it? We opted for cutting at 27mm and the grass performed well so it has remained that way throughout the tournament."

TURNING TO TECHNOLOGY

Twickenham boasts a high-tech Desso GrassMaster pitch, which was installed by the RFU in 2012 for about £1.2 million.

The Desso system works by sowing a strand of artificial grass into the pitch 20cm deep every 20mm, about three per cent of the pitch, and Kent explained the benefit of this for the modern-day game.

"The artificial strands give the grass roots something to wrap around, similar to the way that iron rods are used to strengthen concrete," he said. "You cannot kick a divot out, all you can do is scuff it or scar it. You wear it out like a carpet.”

Despite the cost, the head groundsman said the Desso technology is the reason his pitch has remained in good condition during an intense period of rugby and, even with rain predicted for Saturday, Kent remained positive.

“It is an expensive investment but it has paid off here," he said. "We’ve now played seven games at Twickenham in RWC 2015 and by 18:00 on Sunday night we will be nine games down, one to go here. Touch wood, it will still look as good.

"What’s special about this pitch is that it drains at 5-6 inches (127mm-152mm) of rain an hour so we don’t worry about the forecast this weekend, it's not an issue for us."

TIGHT TURNAROUND

With Saturday's game to finish about 18:00, Kent and his team have a tight turnaround before Sunday's second semi-final between Argentina and Australia, but the head groundsman is calm about the prospect of a late night.

"We have a weather forecast from John Kettley and he is so accurate it’s untrue," he said. "The forecast is for five to six milimetres of rain on Saturday and dry on Sunday. That gives us the morning to do whatever we can’t do on Saturday night.”

PUTTING PLAYERS FIRST

Twickenham's pitch will be on show to a worldwide audience this weekend, but Kent maintains that his hard work and finely mowed turf will not be taking centre stage.

"We do our best to make the pitch look the best that it possibly can for every game played here at Twickenham," he said.

"But it's the teams' day, not mine. People come to see them, not my grass.

"In 40 years' time they’ll look back and say, win or lose, the pitch was magnificent. That’s what I aim for.”

RNS lg/ajr