Following a night-time temperature of -11 last night (Christmas Day) the pitch at Rodney Parade has frozen and the Dragons match against the Blues has been postponed.
Following a night-time temperature of -11 last night (Christmas Day) the pitch at Rodney Parade has frozen and the Dragons match against the Blues has been postponed.
We are obviously bitterly disappointed,” said Stadium Manager Mark Jones. “The staff have worked really hard this week to try and ensure that tomorrow’s game will go ahead but we have been beaten by extraordinary weather conditions.”
The pitch has been covered in a blanket of snow all week lying on top of the frost covers which was due to be cleared by an army of supporters on the morning of the match as it was insulating the pitch which until last night was soft and playable.
“We would like to extend an enormous thank you to all of the supporters who offered to come in and help in the morning”, he said. “There is no doubt that without that help, the game would have been 100% off several days ago. Everyone at the region was blown away by the level of support that came from the fans. We’re terribly disappointed for all of our supporters who were clearly willing to put in a lot of work to see this game go ahead.
“We would also like to particularly thank Alice Springs golf Club who were providing snow-clearing equipment and Worthington’s who offered a free pint to our thirsty diggers!”
The derby match will be played at a later date to be scheduled by Celtic Rugby in conjunction with both teams.