Worcester Warriors have announced that the Guinness Premiership clash with Sale Sharks – due to take place at Sixways Stadium this afternoon – has now been postponed due to a frozen pitch.
Match referee Dave Pearson inspected the Sixways Stadium pitch at 11am this morning and made a decision to postpone the match.
A new date for the fixture is yet to be arranged.
Staff at Warriors had worked throughout the week to try make sure the game went ahead and put down frost sheets on the pitch to try and combat the cold weather.
The Sixways Stadium pitch was deemed playable yesterday at noon after an inspection by highly experienced international referee Hugh Watkins.
However, overnight temperatures at Worcester Warriors dropped to minus six and remained at this temperature at 7.30am this morning. Throughout the morning temperatures remained below freezing at pitchside, despite online forecasts of over zero.
The new Slick Systems Stand protected the east side of the pitch but the final third of the pitch at the south end remains unplayable and referee Pearson opted to call off the game until a later date.
Supporters are advised that match tickets for the game will remain valid for the rearranged date when it is announced.
Hospitality guests are invited to Sixways Stadium as planned where meals will be served and the players will conduct a questions and answers session.
Charlie Little, General Manager at Warriors, said: “We’re obviously very disappointed to have lost such a big game in the Guinness Premiership due to the very weather conditions that have also impacted badly on other sporting events across the country today.
“We’re disappointed for the players, who have trained hard all week and were really up for putting in a good performance, and the staff and hospitality team that had been working over the New Year period to get everything in place for the game.
“We’re also disappointed for the ground staff who I know have worked around the clock to look after the pitch and have done everything they possibly could have to get the green light.
“But, most disappointing of all, is that our fans, who will have been looking forward to the first league game of the year, now do not get the chance to welcome in 2009 with top-flight rugby. We now have two European Challenge Cup games to look forward to and will let fans know about the rearranged date as soon as possible.
“We have been monitoring the adverse weather conditions, via various outlets, throughout this period but what has beaten us is the fact that we are in an exposed area and have suffered a very bad frost overnight.
“Two thirds of the pitch would have been deemed playable for 3pm but the south end is still frozen due to the low sun which has not risen above the stand to heat it up.
“We would like to thank match referee Dave Pearson for making the journey to the stadium early in the morning for the inspection. He made not only the correct decision but also a quick one that has allowed us to put the message out to supporters locally and also those travelling down from Sale. It has also meant our contingency plan, which is set up for circumstances such as today, has been put into process quickly and effectively.
“We would like to wish all fans a Happy New Year, remind them that all tickets remain valid for the rearranged date and that we will inform them of this information as soon as we have it.”