Australian Rugby Union boss Bill Pulver has been left red-faced with the turf at AAMI Park resembling a sandpit more than a rugby field.
Despite assurances from ground staff in the lead-up to the Test match between the Wallabies and England, the sub-standard turf failed to hold up for even the first scrum.
Referee Craig Joubert was forced to shift the scrum and reset it, with the ground giving way under the teams.
The scrums left the turf ripped up across the ground, with the holes a danger for all players.
This week Pulver admitted he was still concerned about the playing conditions despite being told by ground officials it would be fine.
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There have been ongoing issues with the turf during the Melbourne Rebels Super Rugby home games this season, with their scrums causing the same problems.
AAMI Park blamed heavy traffic and unfriendly weather for those issues, but with Super Rugby on a four-week break and no A-League soccer played on the ground they were confident the root systems would be repaired.
The Test match could have been played next door at the MCG, with the venue vacant the entire weekend due to a split round in the AFL.
Pulver said the ARU was responding to rugby fans who felt the Test match experience was better at a rectangular stadium where they were closer to the action than at an oval stadium.
Earlier in June, Pulver said it was too late for the ARU to relocate the game but indicated if the turf was bad for the Test match, AAMI Park would struggle to see the Wallabies again.
