Twickenham's hi‑tech turf features nanobubbles, hidden reservoir and hungry foxes

Twickenham Stadium has received a new playing surface made of rolls of grass, each roughly 11 metres long and just over a metre wide. The turf was grown and harvested about 200 miles away in Scunthorpe, then shipped to London and laid over a four‑day period. Beneath the pitch a large reservoir that can hold 1.4 million litres of water has been installed, a concept inspired by a fact‑finding trip to the Netherlands.

The former pitch relied on a sand base that drained water quickly but also allowed nutrients to pass through before taking effect. The new system lets the water table be adjusted mechanically, prioritising drainage or nutrition as needed, while captured water is recirculated with nanobubble technology to boost soil health and turf durability. Buttar said, "We were looking for a more sustainable way of doing all things, while still being able to produce a world-class surface," and added, "That was the aim essentially." A week after the installation, England women opened the field with a dramatic win over New Zealand in September.