Playing at Allianz Park will give Saracens a "massive advantage" against Northampton Saints in the Premiership play-off semi-final this Sunday, says Sarries coach Alex Sanderson.

Sarries have played six matches at their new home in Barnet this season and have won all six, scoring an average of 30 points a game.

Sell-out crowds, Saracens pies and a new club anthem have all helped the Men in Black settle into their new home but a contributing factor to their attacking impetus has certainly been the artifical pitch which Sanderson says the Sarries players enjoy and have grown used to.

"We are more conditioned to it than other teams because we train here during the week so it is a massive advantage, certainly in the short term before people get their own training field," he said.

"We have an artificial pitch at our training base which we use to work on set-pieces.

"We also go to Allianz Park for two sessions during the week when we play down here on a Saturday to get used to the wind which is slightly swirling and also the bounce of the ball which is consistently different.

"The loading is also different for these lads because there’s more traction on these pitches which means they can run faster.

"So although there aren’t more impact injuries, over-training can result in soft muscle tissue injuries.

He added: "But we have heart rate monitor and GPS monitors which takes into account how much every player is doing, how much loading they’re doing, how much running they’re doing.

"We tailor how much the time they spend out there very specifically to get the maximum effect out of the players."

Saracens have made it clear however they are not looking to gain an unfair advantage from the surface and the club offer every opponent the chance to train on the plastic pitch the week before a match.

Bath, Worcester and Exeter all practised on the 4G surface on the day before their respective games.

 

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