Leeds Rhinos halfback Blake Austin has hit out at the Rugby League World Cup after using Kingston Park as a venue. The home of Newcastle Thunder has a synthetic grass surface, with Italy's Nathan Brown having his own problems after playing on the turf.
Brown, who plays for Parramatta Eels in the NRL, has struggled on the 4G turf, revealing the extent of his situation earlier this month. The Italians played on the surface against both Scotland and Fiji, before taking on Australia in St Helens.
"I'm not used to playing on these surfaces," he said. "I couldn't walk to be honest, for five days it was a bit of a weird situation.
