Benefits of complying with Regulation 22

There are many benefits for venue owners, clubs and players in complying with the regulation outside of the act of complying with World Rugby’s regulations.

From a player's perspective, they can be confident that there is no greater risk of injury on a Regulation 22 compliant artificial turf field when compared to a natural turf (including hybrid) field. Research has shown that injury rates between the two surface types are not statistically different, but there are some minor differences for some surface types. There is a perceived increased risk of skin injuries from playing on artificial turf. These can be reduced significantly by correct and regular maintenance and by keeping the surface cool.

From a facility owner’s perspective, Regulation 22 provides a basis for ensuring that the field will last as long as it is expected to. It is not uncommon for fields to continue to meet the performance requirements of Regulation 22 beyond the original expected lifetime of the field. This is hugely dependent on the levels of use and how the maintenance performed is balanced with this.

When considering the risk implications of complying with Regulation 22, should a player get injured as a result of the surface, and the surface complies with Regulation 22, any potential legal case against the facility can be managed knowing that the surface complied with international best practice for sports fields. If the field did not comply with Regulation 22 at the time of injury, then the facility owner and club/school could be exposed to a legal claim against them for not having the field in the expected condition.