Turf to support the performance of French rugby

As the partnership between RAGT and its subsidiary Les Gazons de France and the French Rugby Federation is renewed until 2027, the Group met with Alexandre Serveau, Head Groundsman, at the National Rugby Centre in Marcoussis.

This was an opportunity to find out more about how turf contributes to team performance and why selection is a major issue.

How do you manage to keep rugby pitches like these in perfect condition?

Upstream preparation is essential to ensure that the pitches are of the highest quality throughout the season. The challenge is to provide the best possible training conditions for the national rugby union and sevens teams.
This starts with scalping as soon as the international seasons are over. The pitch is laid bare. The second stage involves choosing the right mix. On the four training pitches at Marcoussis, we use the Midivert mix supplied to us by Les Gazons de France and we draw up an annual pitch nutrition plan.

Why choose this mix?

The choice of grass, whatever the type of pitch, is very important. Midivert contains tall fescue in particular, which adapts well to all temperatures and is also resistant to uprooting, which is a useful feature. Training is very intensive. Finally, this mixture has been awarded the "eco-sustainable turf" label.

What's at stake?

Time is of the essence. The pitches have to be up and running quickly. In concrete terms, the turf must reach maturity in 8 weeks.
Experience shows that RAGT's genetics really perform at this level too. We've been able to put this to the test in recent years. We replant all our pitches every year.