Edinburgh Rugby’s new plastic pitch is a far cry from muddy Malleny for Luke Crosbie

Luke Crosbie knows a thing or two about muddy pitches having cut his teeth playing club rugby with Livingston and Currie. So moving to Edinburgh’s new stadium with its pristine artificial playing surface has been something of a culture shock for the back-row forward.
The artificial pitch at Edinburgh's new stadium will suit their game, according to Luke Crosbie. Picture: Ross Parker/SNSThe artificial pitch at Edinburgh's new stadium will suit their game, according to Luke Crosbie. Picture: Ross Parker/SNS
The artificial pitch at Edinburgh's new stadium will suit their game, according to Luke Crosbie. Picture: Ross Parker/SNS

The pro team have begun training at the ground but won’t play matches there until fans are allowed back into games.

The £5.7 million stadium is Edinburgh’s first dedicated home ground after a nomadic existence and Crosbie has already grown to like it.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It’s a really good pitch,” he said. “It’s a great surface for the way we want to play, utilising our backs and the dynamic forwards that we have. I feel like it’s really going to work in our favour.

Luke Crosbie says playing for Edinburgh is special after growing up supporting the club. Picture: Ross Parker/SNSLuke Crosbie says playing for Edinburgh is special after growing up supporting the club. Picture: Ross Parker/SNS
Luke Crosbie says playing for Edinburgh is special after growing up supporting the club. Picture: Ross Parker/SNS

“Training on it this week and last week has been really good. Just getting used to it. And from the fans’ perspective, the seating is really close to the bench, so everyone is going to be more involved compared to Murrayfield, where there’s a slight gap.”

Read More
Edinburgh Rugby: Take a virtual tour of club’s new ‘mini-Murrayfield’ stadium

It’s a far cry from Currie’s Malleny Park which has a reputation for being one of Scottish rugby’s muddier tracks.

“It’s the completely opposite,” laughed Crosbie. “I’ve grown up playing in a swamp and now you’re on a nice fancy pitch - there’s a bit of a change.”

He thinks it will help Edinburgh play a faster brand of rugby and suit his own game.

“Part of my game is using my speed and getting across the pitch, so it’s going to be in my favour,” he said. “And across the board, helping us play quicker, it’s shown a different side to our game, that we can really attack and defend a lot better getting off the line. So we’re excited for our first game on it.”

Growing up in Livingston as an Edinburgh supporter, Crosbie takes a special pride in the new stadium.

“Coming from outside Edinburgh, from a school where we never played rugby, working my way in: now I play professional rugby and my home club has got a new stadium. As it’s the team I supported it’s pretty special to me - it’s really motivated me to keep working hard.”

A message from the Editor:

Get a year of unlimited access to all of The Scotsman's sport coverage without the need for a full subscription. Expert analysis of the biggest games, exclusive interviews, live blogs, transfer news and 70 per cent fewer ads on Scotsman.com - all for less than £1 a week. Subscribe to us today